1. business and industrial

NOVEMBER 2014
The Lackawanna County Library System
STACKS UP WITH INNOVATION
Senator Bob Casey
TALKS LOCAL BUSINESS
SAGE Award Finalists
ANNOUNCED
www.scrantonchamber.com
Sponsored by:
Chamber
Happenings
222 Mulberry Street
P.O. Box 431
Scranton, PA 18501
• 255,964 SF
• Attached Parking
Garage
• Availble for
Lease or Sale
• KIZ Approved
iness Card
Sneak Peak/Bus
Leonard
Exchange at The
Regional Chambe
r Dis
Speaker Breakfa tinguished
st fe
Secretary Dan M atures
euser
• Downtown Scranton
119 Wyoming Avenue
MetroTech Center, Scranton, PA
• 36,400 SF office
space available
• On-site parking
• Downtown Scranton
September Women’s Network
Luncheon features
Secretary Julia Hearthway
• Business Incubator
Suites available
• KIZ approved
201 Lackawanna Avenue
o Fall 2014
Scranton Enterprise Center, Scranton, PA
• 45,249 SF
Employment Exp
• Parking for 220+
• Incubator suites
• 30,000 SF Anchor
Tenant space
• Tax free through
12/31/2020
• KIZ approved
50 Alberigi Drive
Governor Corbett Speaks at
Candidates Forum
at The Chamber
Chamber Open House
TekRidge Center, Jessup, Pa
570-342-7711
scrantonplan.com
1 • The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce
*All Photos courtesy of those featured unless otherwise noted.
November
calendar of events
HOBAN LECTURE WITH UKRAINIAN AMBASSADOR
November 5 - 7pm
McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center, University of Scranton
INSIDE THE HOTEL RWANDA: THE SURPRISING TRUE
STORY AND WHY IT MATTERS TODAY
November 6 - 12pm-1:30pm
The University of Scranton, DeNaples Center McIlhenny Ballroom,
Room 407
MARYWOOD UNIVERSITY STRING CELEBRATION
November 8 - 7pm
Sette LaVerghetta Center for the Performing Arts,
Marywood University
TURKEY TROT 5K/10K RUN
November 16 - 8am
The Commonwealth Medical College (TCMC)
WOMEN’S NETWORK LUNCHEON
November 19 - 12-1:30PM
POSH@ The Scranton Club
THE COMMUNITY INTERVENTION
CENTER’S COFFEE HOUSE
November 21 - 5pm
The Leonard (On the lower level of the former “Moonshine Theater”)
THE GREAT LEARNING GAP AND
WHY WE MUST DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT
November 24 - 12:00 PM- 1:30 PM
The University of Scranton, Brennan Hall, Rose Room 509
Denotes Scranton Chamber Event
Register at ScrantonChamber.com
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WOMEN’S RETREAT
November 1 - 9am-4pm
Yar-Corte Acres, Kingsley
SIX SIGMA GREEN BELT TRAINING
November 5 – December 3 - 8am-4pm
Hanover Industrial Estates
A CHAIR AFFAIR
November 6 - 5:30pm-8:30pm
JA Mericle Family Center for Enterprise Education
SPIRIT OF HOPE CELEBRATION
November 7 - 7pm-9:30pm
Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs
RESHORING AND THE TOTAL COST
OF OWNERSHIP SYSTEM
November 18 - 8am – 10:30am
The Riverstone Inn
NATURAL WONDERS: CRITTER CAMOUFLAGE
November 20 - 1pm – 2:30pm
Lackawanna Environmental Education Center
SANTA PARADE
November 22 - 9AM
Downtown Scranton
NEPA CAREER & COLLEGE COUNSELING WORKSHOP:
ADVICE FOR FINDING THE BEST CAREER
November 24 - 6:00 PM
Abington Community Library
BUY LOCAL MARKETPLACE
November 30 - 11AM- 4PM
Scranton Cultural Center
www.scrantonchamber.com • 2
JOBCONNECTION
SERVICES, INC.
1301 Pittston Avenue, Scranton, PA 18505
jobconnectionservices.com, jcsfamily.com
570-343-3500
Member since 2013
JobConnection Services Inc’s objective is
to tirelessly serve its clients by focusing
on their individual staffing needs. Since
owner, Michael Carty opened his initial
office’s doors for the first time in 1997 on
Delaware Avenue in Palmerton, JCS has
quickly expanded to 10 offices in three
states with over 50 professionals. Michael
and his team’s insistence on taking care
of his customers is what has made them
successful throughout the years.
Charles Cornmesser is the vice president
of business development and we were
able to speak with him to find out more
about the company.
Scranton Chamber: Could you tell us a
little bit about what JobConnection is
and how it got started?
Charles Cornmesser: We provide
temporary staffing for a wide variety
of businesses. We offer temporary and
permanent placement to help companies
with their staffing needs, and find suitable
employers that align with the business’s
goals and mission. Since 1997, we have
expanded to 10 different locations across
Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
SC: What types of clients can you
accommodate?
CC: We can accommodate any client
from a collection of different industries,
large and small. This has allowed us to
understand a wide variety of people and
how they work, which has developed
our own expertise in finding people that
are best suited for any given company’s
desired position. JobConnection caters to
our customers’ unique needs and creates
solutions for the success of our businesses.
3 • The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce
From left to right: Edhit Flores, Carmen Charles, Scranton Office Manager and Sandra Pagan
We put extreme focus on taking care of
our clients and customizing
a plan for them. We stand
by our motto, “Working for
You!” and are committed
to serving the businesses
in the community. Most of
our clients have been with
us since the start of our
business, which serves as a
huge testimony to our work.
SC: What are some of the challenges
with providing 24/7
service?
“ ...WE STAND
BY OUR
MOTTO,
WORKING
FOR YOU!”
CC: The biggest challenge
is simply finding the time
to be available for our
clients no matter what the
request is or what time it
is. We have dedicated staff
meeting the needs of all
our clientele at all hours
SC: How has expanding JCS
Charles
Cornmesser
of the day. Our constant
to 10 offices benefitted you
availability ensures our
and your clients?
customers the best possible
CC: We have the ability to serve multiple
care. This aspect of our service sets us
locations. We have the offices close enough
apart from other businesses.
that they can support each other quickly.
SC: How has The Chamber played a role
In Scranton, it’s different because it’s
in the JCS family’s success?
a little further away from our existing
offices, but Scranton is a prime location
CC: The Chamber has raised awareness
to serve the businesses of NEPA. Our
about our business. We’ve been in the
staff here can handle anything thrown at
area since 2001 and it still amazes me
them, small to large companies, single
how many people are unaware of our
location or multiples.
services. The Chamber has assisted in
filling that gap and has spread awareness
SC: How did you decide to open JCS
about our company and its mission to help
Business Solutions, JCS Logistics, and also
businesses in the area.
your newest company, JCS Healthcare?
-
CC: These branches came from our internal
needs. As we’ve grown our business saw
a need to market different aspects of our
company. Business Solutions deals with
workers compensation, payroll and these
are areas we realized we could assist
with through working with our clients in
JobConnections. We work with a lot of
businesses with warehouses, so that’s
where the logistics part of the business
comes in. The JCS Healthcare part of our
business offers non-medical home care,
which lightens the load for our clients.
Living in a bustling world full of raising
children and support for your parents, there
leaves limited time to focus on work for
some and we are here to meet their needs.
Each month, The Chamber highlights
a member business that is making
its mark in our community. To apply
for the Small Business Spotlight
award
visit
scrantonchamber.com.
The Small Business Spotlight award is
sponsored by:
HOW TO CRAFT
GREAT CONTENT
ROME KIRKLAND
Content Marketing Specialist
Zen Design Firm
One of the most crucial elements of a
website is the content that actually goes
on the page. Great content can elevate
a mediocre website into something
extraordinary; it can convince and
convert people who may have been on
the fence about your business.
Focusing on your content is not a waste
of time. Content marketing costs 62%
less than traditional marketing, while
producing 3x as many leads. Those
numbers are hard to ignore.
We’re going to talk about several
ways to help make your content stand
out, and how in doing so you can
exponentially increase your results.
The truth about
great content
Great content does several things:
• It influences the visitor’s perception
of your company
• It provides value
• It helps the visitor make an informed
decision about your business, service, or products
You are constantly battling to win over
your visitors’ attention. Good content
can be the difference between them
staying on your site/committing to an
action (whether it be buying from you or
signing up for your newsletter) and them
hitting the “back” button.
Great content will help with your SEO
efforts. Skyrocket SEO’s 2014 study
determined that content marketing is
one of the best ways to naturally build
links to a website. Content marketing
won the top spot for the most favored
method of link building among the
surveyed participants.
What is great content?
Great content is both valuable and
authentic. For example, if you’re
reading this article, you will extract
some value from it. Hopefully you
will understand that what I’m writing
is authentic and will work for your
business—otherwise, the entire
concept of this article is meaningless.
You want your content to be devoured
and to be shared across multiple social
media platforms. The only way to
accomplish this is to craft great content
that your readers will want to read.
Valuable content is informative. If you
run a blog or a newsletter, then there
should be some good information that
the reader can glean from it. There are
lots of small business blogs out there
that have no real interesting information
to share. If you go on their blogs, you
will notice that their posts are merely
blurbs about their company/business
and how great it is. This is not what
readers want to read. If they spend
the time to go to your blog, or if they
have opted in for a newsletter, then you
should deliver content that is informative
and somewhat entertaining to read.
Crafting content that your
visitors want to read
This can be very difficult for some
business owners. For instance, if your
business sells lawn mowers or if you
run an auto repair shop, you may be
wondering how to create interesting
and informative content. These types
of businesses seem, on the surface,
very hard to write about, but you need
to think about the content from a
different perspective.
From the outset, every single piece
of content needs to be written from
the point of view of “How can I help
my readers? How can I help them
find a solution and help them solve a
problem?” Basically, you need to write
helpful posts that will help visitors with
a problem that they may be having. If
you’re an auto repair shop, instead of
writing blog posts that do nothing but
exalt your company, write something like
“The Top 5 Most Common Car Issues
that You May Have While on the Road,
and How to Fix Them”. Or if you sell
lawn mowers “The Best Way to Tend
Your Yard on a Budget”.
You need to look at the demographics of
your readership. Determine what type of
content is relevant to your demographics
and deliver it to them.
Look at what your competition is
doing. If your competitor has a blog
or a newsletter, look at their content,
see what they’re writing about, and
see how you can adapt their practices
into your content. This is solely for
inspiration. This will help you get ideas
for your own website.
Great content
is evergreen
Crafting great content is not shortterm marketing. When you take
the time to create highly-detailed,
engrossing content for your business,
you are subscribing to the philosophy
of evergreen marketing. People will not
stop devouring great content anytime
soon. Integrate content creation into
your marketing today—the results will be
long lasting.
www.scrantonchamber.com • 4
2
MemberNews
Announcements
The Department of
Environmental Protection
(DEP) invites manufacturers,
retailers, service providers,
agricultural businesses and other small businesses to apply for a Small
Business Advantage Grant to finance pollution prevention and energy
efficiency projects. Applicants must be a for-profit corporation, limited
liability corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship or other legal
entity with 100 or fewer full-time employees. The grant-supported
project must be located in Pennsylvania and be owned by the applicant.
Eligible projects must save the business a minimum of $500 and 25
percent annually in energy consumption or pollution related expenses.
Businesses can apply for 50-percent matching funds of up to $9,500 to
adopt or acquire energy-efficient or pollution-prevention equipment or
procedures. Funding is eligible for those costs incurred between Oct. 6,
2014 and June 30, 2015.Applicants will be considered on a first come,
first served basis. Applications will be accepted until fiscal year 20142015 funds are exhausted or April 15, 2015, whichever occurs first.
The Lackawanna County Commission For Women continued their annual
Health seminar focusing on “Care & Support of a Person with Breast Cancer.”
The program was held on Thursday, October 16 at The Commonwealth Medical
College and featured several physicians specializing in surgery, oncology and
naturopathic medicine. The event also included a tour of the medical college, a
light dinner and the panel presentation.
Have you ever seen a vehicle with a
yellow dot on the back windshield? AAA
North Penn states that the “dot” is
actually a yellow sticker purposely placed
on the windshield to assist citizens in
need. The Pennsylvania Department of
Transportation created the Yellow Dot
program, which is modeled after one
in Alabama, in November 2012 to alert
emergency responders that contact and
medical information is in the glove box of a
vehicle involved in an accident.
PennDOT Secretary, Barry J. Schoch,
unveiled a new website that illustrates
innovations that have been deployed on
roads and bridges throughout the state.
The web viewer provides technical details
on innovations underway and educational
information about the STIC. On the
website, the public can view innovations
in their region sorted by county, PennDOT
district, or transportation planning partner.
5 • The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce
First National Community Bank (FNCB) announced the appointment of three new staff
members. The newest additions to the FNCB banking team are Michael J. Bibak, Senior
Vice President, Senior Credit Administrator; Norita P. Miko, Assistant Vice President,
Deposit Operations Manager and Keehna Murphy, Credit Analyst, Banking Officer.
Bibak will be responsible for overseeing the asset recovery and credit analysis
departments. Miko will be responsible for overseeing daily operations of deposit related
accounts. Murphy will be responsible for providing credit analysis for commercial lending.
Congratulations
EDM Americas, a leading information
management solutions provider based
in Raleigh, NC, was recently recognized
by Inc. Magazine’s 5000 list as one of
America’s fastest-growing companies
for 2014. This award, which marks EDM’s
fourth consecutive year being honored, is
also the highest ranking EDM has received
from Inc. EDM works with organizations
in the insurance, health care, education,
financial services, and government sectors
helping them manage their most critical
and sensitive information through end-toend information management
The Scranton Area Community
Foundation celebrated 60 years of giving
back to the community this year. They
hosted a community celebration event on
October 16th at the Radisson Lackawanna
Station Hotel.
Highland Associates announces
that Lock Haven University’s New
Science Center, Lock Haven, Pa.,
and Millersville University’s McNairy
Library and Learning Forum,
Millersville, Pa., were selected for
publication in Penton’s American
School and University 2014 Education
Interiors Showcase. Both projects
were featured in the August 2014
edition of the magazine and also on
the Web at www.SchoolDesigns.
com. An annual competition
honoring educational interior design
excellence, the Educational Interiors
Showcase spotlights projects
representing some of the most
effective learning environments in
America.
For the second time in as many years, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
franchise hosted a prestigious Golden Bobblehead Award. It claimed a 2014 honor
in the Best Charity Promotion or Event category for HOPE Week. The team was also
one of five finalists for Best Non-Gameday Event for the Electric City Brewfest. The
awards show was held in Oklahoma City at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, home of
the Tripe-A RedHawks, on Oct. 2. The RailRiders proved victorious in a competition
that sported nearly 200 nominations from all MiLB levels.
The Houdini Museum was on the Travel
Channel’s Mysteries at the Museum.
The film crew came to Scranton and
was particularly interested in the Family
portrait of Houdini’s mother on display at
the Houdini Museum. Museum director,
Dick Brooks talked about Houdini’s
mother and his friendship with Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock
Holmes series.
Delta Medix, PC has been designated
as our area’s first accredited Lung Cancer
Screening Center by the American College
of Radiology (ACR). The ACR Lung Cancer
Screening Center designation is a voluntary
program that recognizes facilities that
have committed to practice safe, effective
diagnostic care for individuals at the
highest risk for lung cancer.
The Everhart Museum was mentioned in
a recent Huffington Post article regarding
their exhibition titled “Sacred Symbols in
Sequins: Vintage Haitian Vodou Flags.”
In keeping with the company’s
commitment to continue building the
finest construction-services company
while fostering long-term, solid
relationships with both clients and team
members, Vice President of Operations
Matthew D. Michalek proudly
announces the following promotions at L.R. Costanzo Co., Inc.
Louis E. Costanzo, Clarks Summit, has been promoted to President. As a fourth
generation Costanzo, Louis E. symbolizes the passion and knowledge of L.R.
Costanzo’s traditional core values set forth by his predecessor. Nicholas Costanzo,
Clarks Summit, has been named Vice President. A fourth generation Costanzo,
Nicholas has been involved in the family business since he was a young man. He
most recently served as an Estimator. Nicholas’ strong business background and
dedicated work ethic found within the Costanzo family has equipped him well for
this new position.
www.scrantonchamber.com • 6
SENATOR BOB CASEY
MEETS WITH LOCAL
START-UPS TO DISCUSS THE
NEEDS OF AREA BUSINESSES
Senator Bob Casey met with area business
owners for an informal roundtable meeting
to discuss the needs of start-up companies
and entrepreneurs in the Greater Scranton
area. The Greater Scranton Chamber of
Commerce hosted the discussion with
Senator Casey and business owners who
are part of the incubator program at the
TekRidge Center in the Jessup Small
Business Center.
The Greater Scranton Chamber of
Commerce has two incubator programs,
located at the TekRidge Center and
the Scranton Enterprise Center, that
are designed to support the successful
development of entrepreneurial companies
through an array of business resources
and services. The business incubator
tenants at both facilities have access
to shared office services, a conference
room, equipment, flexible leases, and
expandable office space. Photo (LtoR): Bob Durkin, The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce; Amy Luyster, The Scranton Plan; Senator Bob
Casey; Michael Averto, Otreva; Anthony Valenzano, iQ Product Design; Gino Piccolino, Order Easy Now; Aaron Whitney,
The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce
The principals of each business shared what
they believe to be the biggest hurdles and
challenges faced by start-up companies
and entrepreneurs in Northeastern
Pennsylvania. Topics included access to
healthcare, workforce availability including
talent attraction, and the need for small
business lending and venture capital.
They also made recommendations to
Senator Casey regarding what the federal
government could do to benefit these
growing small businesses.
2008 Scranton-Carbondale Hwy., Dickson City
(570) 489-7526
www.idlehourlanes.com
SLEEPY HOLLOW LOUNGE
INDOOR GLOW MINI GOLF
7 • The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce
The TekRidge Center is situated within
a Keystone Opportunity Expansion
Zone offering tax benefits through
2020. The facility is also located in
a Keystone Innovation Zone (KIZ), an
incentive program that provides tax
credits to for-profit companies less
than eight years old operating within
specific, targeted industries. 125 Beech Street, Scranton
(570) 961-5213
www.southsidebowl.com
POOR RICHARDS PUB
BILLIARDS
SAGE AWARD FINALISTS ANNOUNCED
The Chamber and MetroAction announced the
finalists for the 2014 SAGE Awards, (Scranton
Awards for Growth and Excellence), which
honor outstanding local businesses for their
talent, creativity, and innovation. The winner of
each award category will be announced at The
Chamber Gala on November 11th at The Theater
at Lackawanna College.
More than 110 applications were received. A group of community leaders and
professionals teamed up to review applications and select finalists. The Chamber and
MetroAction are proud to honor businesses that are making valuable contributions to the
region and contributing to our overall quality of life. The finalists, in each category, are:
Best Practices in
Community Involvement
•Graham Public Relations
•Penn Foster Career School
•Woodloch Resort
Non-Profit Organization of the Year
•Children’s Advocacy Center
of Northeastern PA
•Greater Scranton YMCA
•Serving Seniors, Inc.
Best Practices in Customer Service
•Little Acres Learning Academy
•Montage Mountain Resorts
•Net Driven
Pride & Progress:
Exterior Renovations
•Montage Mountain Resorts, LP:
Ski Resort and Waterpark
•Pennsylvania American Water:
Northeast Operations Center
•Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:
PNC Field
Best Practices in Marketing
& Communications
•Montage Mountain Resorts
•Posture Interactive
•Quinn’s Market
Business of the Year
•Admiral Management Services
•EDM Americas Inc.
•Net Driven
Healthy Workplace in
Continuing Excellence Award
•The Honesdale National Bank
•TMG Health
•The University of Scranton
Healthy Workplace
of the Year Award
•Fidelity Deposit & Discount Bank
•MetLife
•Quandel Construction Group, Inc
Hometown Star
•Lackawanna County Wireless:
EDI Conference
•Moscow Borough:
National Night Out
•NAMI PA Scranton Area Chapter:
Evening of Hope
New & Emerging
Business of the Year
•Little Acres Learning Academy
•Peggy’s Wing Sauce Of Scranton
•The Sweet Lush Cupcakery
Pride & Progress:
Interior Renovations
•Blue Cross of NEPA: The Blue Cross
Store of Northeastern Pennsylvania
•hemmler + camayd architects:
St. Thomas Hall, The University of Scranton
•Net Driven: Scranton Headquarters
Pride & Progress: New Construction
•hemmler + camayd architects:
The TekRidge Center
•Johnson College:
Health Science Technology Center
•Sordoni Construction Services, Inc.:
Geisinger- Mt. Pleasant
Small Business of the Year
•JuJaMa Inc.
•The Sweet Lush Cupcakery
•Truly Scrumptious
Sustainability Award
•hemmler + camayd architects
•Highland Associates
•Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs
Woman of Excellence
•Megan Alpert, Alpert Yanoski &
Associates Merrill Lynch •Dr. Tiffany Griffiths,
Tiffany Griffiths & Associates, Inc.
•Cathy Reppert, Truly Scrumptious
Welcome
new members
Amy Ross, Cengage Learning-ed2go
Families for Veterans Inc.
Helfran Glass
Nearme Yoga
New Laundry
Richard Beasley
Richard Perry Coaching & Consulting
Rob Lettieri Photography
Ttohank
You
our sponsors
POSH at the Scranton Club,
Steamtown Starbucks,Minooka
Pastries, JJ McNally’s, Gerrity’s
Supermarket, Fratelli’s, Kelly’s Pub &
Eatery, PJ Scanlan’s, Dave Burnside
Tent Rentals, Backyard Alehouse and
Stirna’s Restaurant for sponsoring the
Chamber’s Open House.
Lackawanna County DA’s Office for
sponsoring Leadership Lackawanna
Tomorrow’s Leaders Today Program.
Prudential for hosting Leadership
Lackawanna’s Core Program.
Quandel Construction for sponsoring
Leadership Lackawanna’s Executive
Program.
Prudential, H.W. Roever d/b/a Dunkin
Donuts, Chamberlin and Reinheimer
Insurers, The Commonwealth Medical
College, Northeast Machinery
Network, MCR Productions,
Fidelity Deposit and Discount Bank,
Peoples Security Bank and Trust for
sponsoring Leadership Lackawanna’s
Whispers of Scranton Legends
mystery dinner theater.
The winner of each award category will be announced at The Chamber Gala on
November 11th at The Theater at Lackawanna College. In addition, all award finalists
were entered into the People’s Choice Award, where the winner will be chosen by a
community-wide, online vote. For more information about the SAGE Awards or The
Chamber Gala visit www.ScrantonChamber.com.
www.scrantonchamber.com • 8
The Lackawanna Library System
Gains Success Through Innovation
In a world that continues to be shaped by technological
advances and carried by instant results, the Lackawanna Library
System is doing more than keeping up – it’s thriving.
The Albright Memorial Library, located on
Vine Street, remains intact with the same
woodwork and windows it started with in
1893. Although the building has stayed
the same over the years, the programs
and services within the building have
kept coincided with the technology and
resources patrons need and want.
How does The Albright Memorial Library in
particular continue to draw in customers?
According to Martina Soden, Head of
Reference Services, the answer is simple.
“You have to keep up with the times.”
The Albright Memorial Library has found
success with a simple formula – knowing
what the community wants and giving it
to them. The Information Technology (IT)
staff and digital services staff installed
new computers last year, allowing patrons
to work with updated technology. With a
good number of younger staff members,
classes offered on smart phones and tablet
use are more informative, embracing
the idea that the generation brought up
through this new technology should be the
ones to teach it.
With staff on-hand for over 65 hours a
week, Albright proves why the best ability
is availability. “As a staff, we are here to
answer every question,” said Soden. “If
patrons can’t come in one day, we happily
answer questions over the phone. We do
our best to accommodate the needs of all
of our patrons.”
Local businesses also have found resources
at Albright when they are trying to make
a profit. “Our staff continues to aid
businesses in research, both in person and
over the phone,” said Soden. “In the world
today, you need to familiarize yourself with
more than just Google and Facebook. The
Microsoft Suite programs such as Word,
PowerPoint, and Excel are all vital to a
company’s success. We have a full-time
computer teacher who uses a lab in the
library to give computer classes teaching
these programs.” Albright also features
several databases for patrons to utilize.
For example, Morning Star Investment
Research Center provides businesses with
news and stock information, and West Law
features legal research information.
9 • The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce
Younger patrons also find value in
Albright’s programs tailored specifically for
each different age groups keeping kids and
teens coming back. The Children’s Library,
located right next door to the Albright
Memorial Library, uses not only books,
but interactive games and toys to educate
children through fun activities. “Our
story time is a big hit among the younger
children,” said Soden. “Parents bring their
children and engage with sing-alongs,
enjoy a story. Many of the children ask
questions while the story is being read.”
But perhaps Albright’s biggest challenge
goes hand-in-hand with one of the
economy’s largest obstacles – how to
make teens think what you do is “cool”
enough for them to participate. “The teens
are definitely a dynamic and challenging
group,” Soden said, laughing. “Luckily, we
have a special librarian who can truly relate
to this age group and provide interesting
and fun programs for them.” Some teen
activities include game nights and play
performances, where parents and families
can come watch the show.
Albright also plays a very active role in the
community through hosting events. Their
biggest event, Swinging On Vine, held in
May each year, raises money for programs
and materials in the library. Aside from
larger events, the library hosts a children’s
program every day, offers movie events
and showings, and a Maker Monday
program, where patrons are introduced to
various arts, from cheese making to home
brewing, paper crafting and wood turning.
Through innovation and a dedicated
staff, the Lackawanna Library System has
proved vital for the community. Through
various programs and willingness to help
patrons learn about the times, Albright
and the other member libraries within the
community continue to be a model for
libraries everywhere.
ADVANTAGES
OF YOUR
LIBRARY CARD
Borrow from more than 400,000 books,
magazines, CDs, talking books, DVDs,
and downloads from libraries in the
Lackawanna County Library System.
Use of all Lackawanna County Library
System libraries, including the
Bookmobile. Your card can also be used
at the University of Scranton, Marywood
University, Keystone College, and Penn
State University-Worthington Campus.
Free or discounted admission to top-notch
programs at the Scranton Cultural Center
and the Everhart Museum.
Free admission to hear world-class
authors speak about their books.
Free access to the Internet.
Free computer-related classes conducted
by the library.
Free access to special programs for
children and adults.
Borrow items from libraries throughout
the world through the Interlibrary Loan
system.
24/7 access to Power Library, a powerful
collection of online databases.
Books by Mail service for library
cardholders who cannot visit the library
due to illness or disability.
Access to free eResources and
professional reference librarians.
For more information about
The Lackawanna Library System,
visit lclshome.org.
Advertorial
www.scrantonchamber.com • 10
P.O. Box 431
222 Mulberry St.
Scranton, PA 18501
www.scrantonchamber.com
WELCOME CHILDREN
6 WEEKS - 12 YEARS
CHILDCARE DESIGNED FOR
LEARNING
511 Morgan Hwy 633 Quincy Ave
570-343-3270 570-344-4392
CALL TODAY TO SCHEDULE A TOUR
OF OUR TWO SCRANTON CENTERS!
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