PA Forward is an initiative organized by the Pennsylvania Library Association to bring greater awareness to the breadth of services that libraries provide and to encourage libraries to further invest in promoting literacies that are essential to a well-rounded, successful society. These are the five key literacies displayed on the left of this page. PA Forward builds on libraries’ roles as community centers, whether on an academic campus or a neighborhood, and encourages them to deepen their connections with their community.
The PA Forward Star Program is a method for libraries to communicate their commitment to the program and signal to one another that they are all part of a network of participating libraries. W&J has recently earned our Bronze Star.
You can learn more about the different stars and what they mean by visiting the link below.
This display at the User Services Desk features works of prominent Latinx authors. Latinx Heritage Month (September 15 - October 15) commemorates the accomplishments of Latinx people and encourages others to dedicate time to learn more about the rich history and cultures of Latin America and the Latinx diaspora.
To celebrate National Voter Registration Day (September 20), this flyer was displayed at the User Services Desk in coordination with social media posts sharing similar information. This was the first of several voting PSA social media posts, the others of which correspond with key voter registration deadlines in Pennsylvania and Election Day itself. The goal of this campaign is to encourage the W&J community to participate in the democratic process whether they are voting in PA or their home state.
To celebrate World Mental Health Day, we partnered with the W&J Counseling Services to put together self-care bags and raise mental health awareness online and in the library.
For LGTBQIA+ History Month, we partnered with W&J's GSA (Gender and Sexuality Association) to curate a display for the front of the library.
For Open Access Week, we posted each day about what open access is, it's pros and cons, and some examples of W&J Faculty who have published Open Education Resources or use Open Access materials in their courses.
In celebration of NaNoWriMo, we curated a display of first novels in hopes of encouraging students to check them out or participate in the NaNoWriMo challenge themselves.
For National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, we created this informative post on social media to raise awareness about local and national hunger and homelessness rates.
We encouraged to take a break amid the stressful holiday and finals seasons through our event with W&J's Coloring Club.
This tab is still under construction! Please contact Cece Lasley (clasley@washjeff.edu) with any questions about our PA Forward initiatives.