News

Still the First In State

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, the staffs of Lackawanna County libraries got busy figuring out how to deliver quality programming and useful information even while the buildings themselves were closed by state mandate.

Patrons responded by downloading eBooks and eAudiobooks in record numbers, attending Facebook Live and Zoom events conducted by library staffers from around the county, and by using the free online resources available from our virtual library, lclshome.org.

The Library System also made Live & Learn in Lackawanna County, our email newsletter, a daily publication to provide important health updates, links to useful resources, and announcements about virtual programs.

This response to an unprecedented public health crisis is an example of how the Lackawanna County Library System became the first system in the state to achieve the Pennsylvania Library Association’s PA Forward Gold Star status.

The Gold Star program is an initiative of the Library Association to get libraries in the state focused on the literacies patrons need as citizens of the 21^st Century.

These have been identified as Basic Literacy, Information Literacy, Civic and Social Literacy, Health Literacy and Financial Literacy – the pillars of PA Forward, a PaLA initiative.

Libraries earn recognition in the Star program by focusing programming and activities on these key literacies. All 10 of Lackawanna County’s libraries earned their gold star, which led to the Library Association’s recognition of the System as a whole.

It is still the only system in the state to hold that honor.

“Libraries in Lackawanna County have a long history of collaboration in serving residents of our communities,” said Mary Garm, System administrator. “Responding to the pandemic was another example of how we excel.”