and Teen Departments along with the other Youth Services Librarians .”
She got to know the families who visited the Children ’ s Department . “ Building lasting relationships with parents and children of all ages was accomplished through excellent story times , programs , outreach programs and her bubbly personality ,” says Sforza . “ She won a Best Practices Award from the Pennsylvania Library Association for her dynamic Rolling and Strolling Summer Story Time Program . Amanda thinks ‘ outside the box ’ and is a visionary of great magnitude who will continue making WACL a fantastic community hub . I am proud she is my successor as Library Director .”
Kirby also understands firsthand the needs of parents and children , as a mom of two little boys , ages one and three .
“ For almost all public libraries in Allegheny County , young children and their families are what we always call the bread and butter ; they make up the biggest portion of our users ,” she says .
And she ’ s right . A 2013 national study by The Pew Internet and American Life Project showed that 70 percent of parents reported that their child visited a public library in the past 12 months and 55 percent said their child had his / her own library card .
“ Our circulation on children ’ s books is well beyond that of anything in any other collection in the library ,” says Kirby . “ Kids are always at the forefront of what our vision is for the library and what our services are going to be . Being a young mom , I know what I ’ m looking for , so it ’ s easy to give feedback and have that incorporated into what we are doing . It helps steer where we are going .”
The community ’ s needs are number one on the priority list . “ We really try to cater to what our community wants and try to fill those
“ People absolutely love being in libraries . It makes them feel good and they are excited to be there , and that ’ s why this is a great job to have — to do something that makes people happy .”
gaps and are always looking for feedback ,” she continues . “ We have a really active Board that is great with the vision and ideas and inspiration , and really help us to get where we want to go .”
Patty Giura is the WACL Board of Trustees President . “ Amanda has been an invaluable resource to the library since she came aboard ,” she says . “ Her skills in the children ’ s area were highly regarded early on and soon she stood out as a future leader of the library . She was always willing to give a fresh perspective and help the Board really understand how the library works , as well as offer ideas to move us to the next level . When the Director position became available , we knew Amanda would be a great choice and she has lived up to our every expectation . We are lucky to have her !”
Kirby invites people to the library who may have preconceived notions about it . “ We are not the stereotypical library that you think of from the past ,” she says . “ It is more like a community center and we aren ’ t going to ‘ shush ’ you . We want you to come in and spend time and use the space . You will be surprised and impressed by what you ’ ll find .”
For more information on WACL ’ s upcoming events , visit westernalleghenylibrary . org . n
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