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CHICAGO -- The Public Library Association (PLA) is spreading the word about its by reaching out to library, museum and education professionals. PLA leaders and staff are hitting the road this fall to share the latest information on family engagement through public libraries.

PLA has partnered with the National Center for Families Learning (NCFL) to support several sessions related to the initiative at NCFL's , taking place Oct. 9-11, in Tucson, Arizona. Three conference sessions were developed and will be presented by PLA.

• Dallas Public Library Director Jo Giudice, PLA Deputy Director Scott Allen and Margaret Caspe of the Global Family Research Project will present a session called “Public Libraries: Vital Family Engagement Partners.”
• Allen, Caspe, Angela Hubbard with the and Toni Garvey from Garvey Library Consulting will also offer a session focusing on family engagement through STEM learning in libraries.
• Judy T. Nelson from the Pierce County Library System and Maren Ostergard from King County Library System, both in Washington State, will co-present a session on the impact of PLA’s program on communities.

Library staff will find these and many of the 100+ concurrent sessions valuable to their work with children, teens and families.

Also, in late September, Kathleen Reif, co-chair of PLA’s Family Engagement Task Force will discuss intergenerational learning and family engagement at a professional development workshop for museum and library professionals in Boston, Massachusetts. The will bring together library and museum professionals. It is sponsored by the USS Constitution Museum and made possible in part by the Institute of Museum & Library Services.

All the presentations will highlight the family engagement framework and “5 Rs” (reach out, raise up, reinforce, relate, and reimagine) described in PLA’s publications, Public Libraries: A Vital Space for Family Engagement, and Ideabook: Libraries for Families available on the PLA web site.

In August, staff also made a presentation on PLA's at the Missouri Mayors' Digital Inclusion Summit in Kansas City, and in September brought the to Utah as a session at the Association for Rural & Small Libraries Conference.

About PLA

The Public Library Association (PLA) is the largest association dedicated to supporting the unique and evolving needs of public library professionals. Founded in 1944, PLA serves nearly 9,000 members in public libraries large and small in communities across the United States and Canada, with a growing presence around the world. PLA strives to help its members shape the essential institution of public libraries by serving as an indispensable ally for public library leaders. For more information about PLA, contact the PLA office at 1 (800) 545-2433, ext.5PLA, or pla@ala.org.

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