(PITTSBURGH)—City of Pittsburgh Officer David Shifren of Zone 4 is the 2015 Advocate of the Year and the Teen Alternative Homecoming Planning Committee was named 2015 Teen Advocate of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. The awardees were honored by the Library’s Board of Trustees during its annual public meeting. The general public and library staff nominates outstanding and deserving community members who demonstrate a commitment to further library services.
Officer Shifren started a chess club at CLP-Hazelwood, where he teaches chess (and by extension, critical thinking and problem solving skills) to kids and teens. “The program has become a ‘staple of afterschool programming at Hazelwood, said Mary Ann McHarg, Library Services Manager for CLP–Hazelwood. In addition to the chess program, Officer Shifren is an advocate in the community, encouraging families to bring their children to the library during his regular patrols.
The Teen Alternative Homecoming Planning Committee “fully embraced the mission of providing a fun, engaging community experience centered around books and learning” to earn the Library’s Teen Advocate Award. The committee shared more than 60 hours of their time in planning meetings, preparing the event space, brainstorming activities, assembling programs, selling tickets and distributing promotional materials. Their work attracted 279 teens from all over Pittsburgh to the 2015 Alternative Homecoming. The Alternative Homecoming Teen Planning Committee included Maya Best, Kyra Bingham, TaeAjah Cannon, Ana Carballido-Dosal, Leah DeFlitch, Jayne Juffe. Sophia Kachur, Mae Knight, Katina Motta, Kendal Nasiadka, Paige Pegher, Gabriele Spokas, and Oliver Sterling-Angus.
The Board also presented the Outstanding Community Partner Award which recognizes outstanding organizations and corporations that have enhanced library services and programs by building capacity through staff volunteerism, in-kind donations or sponsorship. Library staff nominates candidates for this award. The 2015 awardee, Bat’s Barbershop on Penn Avenue in East Liberty, is the location of one of Library’s first “Community Collections.” Books are free to check out even for community members who do not have a library card. Community Collections serve as a “bridge” to the Library; either by introducing the Library to non-users or repairing relationships with former users. The nomination pointed out that “the staff of Bat’s have been great advocates in encouraging community members to read and engage with the Library, and have been hands-on in helping with book selection. The shop uses every opportunity to teach the East Liberty community and visitors to the barbershop about what the Library offers, and the importance of literacy and continued education.”
“Each year, the variety of nominations from across the region demonstrates that dedicated residents extend the Library’s ability to reach and engage more and more people in the programs we offer—within our walls and beyond,” said Carol Robinson, chair, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Board of Trustees. “We congratulate all the nominees and thank those who invest in their neighborhoods by taking our mission as seriously as we do,” she added.
Like us at https://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Pittsburgh-Courier/143866755628836?ref=hl
Follow @NewPghCourier on Twitter https://twitter.com/NewPghCourier
Download our mobile app at https://www.appshopper.com/news/new-pittsburgh-courier
