Ed Lupico
Greetings!
My name is Edward Lupico and I recently joined the Bureau of Library Development in the Office of Commonwealth Libraries in Harrisburg as a Library Development Advisor. But you can call me Ed. I will oversee the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund for Public Libraries. For those unfamiliar with the Keystone program: it is a competitive grant for qualifying state-aided public libraries to assist in making needed improvements to their physical facilities.
I come to this position following two years behind bars in the PA state prison system—serving as a Corrections Librarian. Before my bid in the joint, I was a Reference Librarian in the Information Services department of the Osterhout Free Library in Wilkes-Barre (Luzerne County Library System).
In the past few years, I participated in the PaLA Academy of Leadership Studies (PALS) and ILEAD PA’s inaugural cohort, and I enjoyed presenting at PaLA’s annual conference. With an undergraduate degree in English Literature, I made my career official by receiving my MLIS from Drexel University.
As I prepare to take on a job that touches all 67 counties in the Commonwealth, I thought of 5 cool places I have visited in our fine state:
- Presque Isle State Park on the shore of Lake Erie
- Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh
- Horseshoe Curve, Altoona
- Boulder Field, Hickory Run State Park, Carbon County
- Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia
Of course, this list doesn’t include the many libraries I have used or visited. I look forward to meeting all of you and seeing more of Pennsylvania as I spread the word about Keystone to libraries and municipalities across the state.