By Miranda Wisor
According to 2024 NAEP data, 69% of Pennsylvania 8th graders were not proficient in reading. That’s a harrowing number. Imagine moving through a world where words are everywhere, but none of them make sense.
You wake up and check your phone. Messages are there, but they might as well be written in code. Signs guide everyone else effortlessly. Street names, billboards, and fliers form an invisible system that keeps the world moving. Without the ability to read, you navigate by familiarity and routine. A detour becomes more than an inconvenience; it becomes disorientation. Picking up a novel, reading a recipe, or filling out a job application are all inaccessible.
Literacy is often treated as an innate, almost invisible skill, but without it, the world becomes less accessible, less private, and far less forgiving. That is why reading and the support to build it is not just an educational issue. It’s about dignity, independence, and the ability to fully participate in everyday life. How will tomorrow’s adults navigate the world if reading is out of reach?
Adams County Libraries, along with libraries across Pennsylvania, are working to ensure that participation is possible for everyone. Through the PA Forward initiative, public libraries are reimagining literacy and the vital role they play in building it within their communities.
PA Forward recognizes that reading is essential, but it’s only the beginning. To thrive today, individuals need five key literacies: Basic Literacy, Information Literacy, Civic and Social Literacy, Health Literacy, and Financial Literacy. Together, these skills support lifelong success.
These literacies form a framework for stronger individuals and communities. They reflect a simple truth: the challenges described earlier are not solved by reading alone, but by a broader set of skills that libraries are uniquely positioned to support.
Across the state, libraries bring this vision to life through programs, partnerships, and services that meet people where they are. Whether it’s a job seeker completing an online application, a new resident connecting with their new community, or a child learning to read, each interaction builds confidence and capability.
PA Forward is more than an initiative; it is a commitment to access and opportunity. A commitment to ensuring no one is left to navigate a text-filled world without the tools to understand it.
Because when individuals gain these literacies, they don’t just get by. They participate, contribute, and help move Pennsylvania forward.
Miranda Wisor is Executive Director of the Adams County Public Library System.