Whitehall Public Library Earns Unique Award

's English as a Second Language Literacy Program, aka the LEARN Bus, has been selected as a 2011 recipient of the Marietta Y. King and Alberta Walden Still Diversity Award for Public Library Service to Older Adults in a Diverse Community.

"There is only one library in Pennsylvania chosen, and I'm so proud that we're being recognized," Whitehall Library Director Paula Kelly said.

The award is a recognition for best practices for older-adult service in a diverse community.

"Even though the LEARN Bus services all age groups," Kelly said, "this past year, Denise Ignasky (the library's adult program coordinator) and I were able to successfully engage with the older adult refugees (in the community), who had, in past years, been reluctant to visit the library, convincing them that the library had much to offer to them on a wide variety of levels well beyond just books.

"We host anywhere from 50 to 90 refugee patrons each month, many of whom are seniors."

Kelly extended thanks to those working with the Whitehall Library who made earning the award possible: library staff members and volunteers, Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council staff and volunteers, the library board, and the Whitehall Borough council.

Kelly and Ignasky plan to attend the Pennsylvania Library Association conference in October to accept the award.

The Marietta Y. King and Alberta Walden Still Diversity Award for Public Library Service to Older Adults in a Diverse Community honors the life and accomplishments of the late Marietta Y. King and Alberta Walden Still. Both were persons of African-American descent who served on the Library Service for Older Adults Task Force, now known as the Innovative Services for an Aging Population (ISAP) Advisory Committee and sponsored by the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, from its inception until their deaths.

The ISAP is seeking to recognize Pennsylvania public libraries that have promoted library service to a culturally diverse population of older adults. Public libraries of all sizes are invited to share their success in developing programs and services for an older population, including ethnic or minority groups, especially African-Americans, Native Americans, Asian-Americans and Hispanic-Americans.

The following criteria are used in selecting the award-winning library:

• Goals for strengthening and enhancing programs and services that attract older minority adults.
• A description of outreach activities to attract people of all races, every economic group and both genders in an effective way that benefits all people in the library's service area. The award's description states this as important because many minorities live in a culture of isolation that has been fostered by racism or other factors contributing to a socially disadvantaged population. Many of these persons have lived in communities where they have been historically denied library service and may not view a library as a welcoming institution.
• Examples of promotional activities to the target group to raise public awareness of the library.
• Encouraging community participation in the design of library services for a diverse population, including working with community organizations such as churches to reach the target group.
• Intergenerational programs that target diverse groups.
• Can this program be replicated in other libraries, and has it been repeated more than once in the past year in your library?