Category Archive

I am pleased to announce that the Memorial Library of Nazareth and Vicinity will be joining SPARK! Located in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania, Nazareth is, famously, home to the Martin Guitar Factory. Welcome Nazareth!

SPARK extends a warm welcome to our newest member, the Bangor Public Library. Halfway between Stroudsburg and Easton, this vibrant community library further enhances the presence of SPARK in Eastern Pennsylvania. Expect more announcements about new members soon!

PaILS is working on a Strategic Plan that will set priorities for the next several years, and we want to hear that you have to say. Therefore, we have scheduled two sets of Focus Groups. Monday, July 18th (Martin Library, York) Administrators / Directors / Supervisors / Managers: 11:00AM Circulation: 1:30PM   Tuesday, July 19th (Holiday Inn, Wilkes-Barre-East Mountain) Administrators / Directors / Supervisors / Managers: 8:30AM Circulation: 12:30PM If … Read More

We all like to know what will be happening when so here is an updated schedule of events that will affect the entire consortium over the next several months. I know it doesn’t need saying, but this schedule is subject to change.   July Access PA Export Authority Control Update September Blair County Libraries Go Live! October Access PA Export Authority Control Update Staff Permission Group Revamp November Pocono Mountain … Read More

The Altoona Area Public Library is now live on SPARK! Congratulations on a successful migration, and we are thrilled to have you on board!  

We are pleased to announce that the libraries of the Bedford County Library System have joined SPARK and will be migrating in early 2017. They will bring four libraries, the Everett Free Library, Hyndman-Londonderry Public Library, Saxton Community Library, and the Pioneer Library, along with a Bookmobile. With Blair County (who are migrating right now) just to the north, the addition of Bedford County will create many opportunities for cooperation … Read More

PaILS is pleased to announce that the Allentown Public Library, Easton Area Public Library, and the Bethlehem Area Public Library will be joining SPARK! These three important libraries will bring a wealth of resources, energy, and talent to the consortium. They will be migrating sometime in the latter half of 2017. More details to follow. Let’s all give a warm SPARK welcome to our friends in the Lehigh Valley.  

Here are some impressive SPARK numbers: Population Served by SPARK Libraries: 1,512,639 Titles: 1,287,992  (100 percent increase over last year!) Copies: 2,727,846 Circulation:  (May 15-April 16): 3,831,881 (48 percent increase over last year!) Patrons: 559,669 (Increase of almost 60,000 over last year!) Library Service Outlets (Live, Migrating, or Committed): 105

The big news is 71 people attended the annual SPARK Users Group Meeting in State College last Thursday. This is a record! Attendees got to travel in the SPARK Time Machine to hear about the recent past and the future, receive an introduction to Evergreen 2.10, hear reports on the Evergreen International Conference, and learn about tips and tricks for Cataloging, Circulation, the SPARK Catalog, and Reports. Let’s not forget … Read More

A lot of great things are happening with SPARK, and I feel it is important that everyone is kept up-to-date. To that end I am going to be posting regular updates to www.sparkpa.org. My first post has a spring theme. With another Pennsylvania winter well behind us, everyone is having meetings and gatherings. I had the pleasure of speaking at the District Library Center Meeting in Hershey on April 25th. … Read More