From the Director

From the Director

Library Director, Jessica Miller

We think Fredricksen Library is an amazing resource for the community, and we hope that you do too! One of the ways that we are looking to continue to grow our influence is through focusing our efforts on the five literacies of PA Forward: Basic, Information, Civic and Social, Financial and Health. Focusing on these literacies will help Fredricksen continue to serve the needs of the West Shore in the best way possible!

Basic Literacy is reading and writing. It is the basic ideas that everything is based on. Increasing your Basic Literacy skills will let help you gain the building blocks to learn anything else you want.

Information Literacy is understanding how information works in new formats. The internet has changed the way that we receive knowledge and having a good background of Information Literacy will allow you to understand how to get information out of it using different devices, and how to tell if the information you get is true or not.

Civic and Social Literacy is understanding how to talk with others and understanding the basics of our government. Hearing your neighbor’s opinions in a respectful manner allows our community to grow together, whether we agree about everything or not.

Health Literacy is understanding how our medical system works so that you can make informed decisions about you and your families health.

Financial Literacy is designed so that you can make informed decisions about your finances. This can be basic budgeting information, retirement planning or even investing classes.

PA Forward will help us make your life better, so stop by today and see how we can help! 

September 2022
We believe that our communities deserve the best library services possible. That is why we are so thankful that you voted for us for Simply the Best Library in Harrisburg Magazine! If you haven’t had a chance to visit us recently, September is a great time to join us here at Fredricksen, as it is Library Card Sign up Month! We have over 140,000 books, CDs, DVDs, audiobooks and other materials that you can check out with your library card. We even have a ghost hunting kit you can borrow!

While you are here checking out our materials, why don’t you look into attending a program? We offer a wide variety of classes for all ages on different subjects, many of them for free. Preschoolers can attend story times that will help them with their Basic Literacy, and their parents can learn the basics of investing - boosting their financial literacy through a class in our Business and Career Center. Teens can learn more about science through one of our STEAM programs in the Kunkel Creation Station. You can even discuss the details of different historical battles in our War Room programs.

We appreciate the chance to help the West Shore grow. Please let us know if there is something we can do better!