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Five Key Literacy Skills for Success and Moving PA Forward: Civic and Social Literacy

Explains the PA Forward Initiative and the purpose of the PA Forward Star Library Program. It focuses on how the Madigan Library participates and has become a Gold Star Library

Civic and Social Literacy



We envision a Pennsylvania where citizens have the knowledge and skills they need to improve their lives, to participate and contribute effectively to their communities, and to connect with one another through discourse.

Constitution Week Display

Constitution Week Display

Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month book display

Crime Scene

Crime Scene display

Why Civic and Social Literacy are Important

Here are some reasons why CIVIC AND SOCIAL LITERACY is a PA Forward priority:

  • In the 2016 presidential election, high school graduates voted at almost twice the level (47%) then those who did not finish high school (24%). Participation increased with the level of education.
  • Thirty-nine percent of Americans cannot name any of the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment.
  • Only a quarter of Americans can name all three branches of government; nearly a third of Americans cannot name any of the three branches of government.
  • Good readers make good citizens. Regular readers are more than twice as likely as non-readers to volunteer or do charity work.
  • Only 55% of all Americans know that Congress shares authority over the U.S. foreign policy with the President. Almost a quarter incorrectly believe Congress shares this power with the United Nations.
  • Only 53% of all Americans know that the power to declare war belongs to Congress. Almost 40% incorrectly believe it belongs to the President.
  • Only 47% of high school seniors have mastered a minimum level of U.S. history and civics.
  • In a survey that asked 12 questions on well-publicized current events, 18- to 29-year-olds had an average of only 5.5 correct. Nearly half could not name the Speaker of the House or the president of Russia, and 60% did not know how many American troops have been killed in Iraq.

Old Books/New Lives: The Art of Upcycling

Guitar made from upcycled book

The collaborative project to repurpose and transform discarded books into objets d’art or useful purposes supports “civic and social literacy,” one of five literacy skills identified by the Pennsylvania Library Association’s PA Forward initiative as essential in powering progress. Madigan Library is participating by engaging in displays, activities and projects that focus on those essential skills (basic literacy, information literacy, civic and social literacy, health literacy, and financial literacy) that strive to benefit not only individual lives, but by developing citizens who are well-informed, engaged and contributing to their communities’ growth.

(Source: PCToday January 15, 2018)