By Ashley Flynn One short year ago, my group mates and I were immersed in a professional development workshop unlike any other. We graduated from PALS, the PaLA Academy of Leadership Studies, with the 2015 class. On the surface, this workshop is designed to increase the leadership...

By Caitlyn Boland  The Pennsylvania Library Association’s Academy of Leadership Studies (PALS) is a training opportunity designed to help Pennsylvania librarians maximize their leadership potential. Many participants come away from the experience feeling energized and confident...

  by Caitlyn Boland, Assistant Director at the Butler Area Public Library Established in 1956, Foundation Center is the leading source of information about philanthropy worldwide. Through data, analysis, and training, it connects people who want to change the world to the...

By Caitlyn Boland, Assistant Director Butler Area Public Library Mark your calendars on April 23-30, 2016 for Money Smart Week. This national initiative is in its sixth year between the ALA and the Federal Reserve Bank to provide financial literacy programming to help members of...

written by Caitlyn Boland Along with the Library’s new Director of Development, Christina Dreher, came the idea to both support health literacy in the community and raise money for the Library at the same time. On Saturday, April 2, 2016, the Butler Area Public Library will host...

    written by Caitlyn Boland, With election day right around the corner, libraries are a perfect place for people to get the information they need in order to make an educated decision about issues and events affecting their lives. Here are some ideas your library can...

  by Caitlyn Boland “Doable” STEM With growing recognition of its educational value, STEM programming has quickly become well-known and sought after for children of all ages, not to mention adults looking to learn more. Libraries working to meet the needs of their communities...

by Caitlyn Boland, Assistant Director of the Butler Area Public Library Our libraries are the center of the communities we serve. As this central hub, we offer a space where people feel welcome to come together, communicate, share ideas, educate and inspire one another. To me,...

PA Forward: ‘Teens After 2’ by Caitlyn Boland YALSA has done the research. Libraries know that approximately 14 million middle and high school students are on their own after school. The hours between 3 and 6 p.m. are the peak hours for juvenile crime and experimentation with...