<p>NEWS RELEASE</p><p>For Immediate Release</p><p>CONTACT: [LOCAL CONTACT NAME] [ORGANIZATION] [PHONE NUMBER AND EMAIL]</p><p>[VIP NAME] to visit [LOCATION] as part of the statewide event: Speak Up for Libraries</p><p>[CITY], [STATE] [(DATE)] – [VIP NAME] is speaking up for Pennsylvania libraries when [HE/SHE] makes an appearance at [LOCATION] on [DATE AND TIME] as part of a very special statewide event titled “Speak Up for Libraries, a PA Forward│Pennsylvania Libraries initiative.”</p><p>This statewide event places the spotlight on Pennsylvania authors and illustrators and the important role our state’s libraries have in the lives of our citizens.</p><p>Speak Up for Libraries will feature programs and events in libraries around the Commonwealth, where guest authors and illustrators will share the importance and personal impact libraries have had on their lives. </p><p>The program offered at [NAME OF LIBRARY] will feature [INCLUDE SPECIFIC INFORMATION AND MAYBE A QUOTE FROM A LIBRARY REPRESENTATIVE OR YOUR AUTHOR OR ILLUSTRATOR ON WHY YOU ARE PARTICIPATING IN THIS INITIATIVE.]</p><p>About PA Forward The Pennsylvania Library Association’s PA Forward | Pennsylvania Libraries initiative was conceived to give voice to what the library community already knows, and what other states throughout the nation are also recognizing: With the right support, libraries are ideally positioned to become the community centers of information, technology, and learning that will fuel educational and economic opportunity for all of our citizens.</p><p>Libraries have moved far beyond just being book repositories. They’re agile institutions serving real-life needs. Libraries can be key to powering progress and elevating the quality of life in PA by fueling the types of knowledge essential to success: Basic Literacy, Information Literacy, Civic and Social Literacy, Health Literacy, and Financial Literacy.</p><p>For more information: PAForward.org; facebook.com/paforward; @PAForward5</p><p># # #</p>