May 2, 2016 By Suzanne Elliott 3 min read

The Peters Township Public Library has been selected as the only library in Pennsylvania to host the “Thinking Money” exhibit.

What this means is that the Peters library bested 80 public libraries across the country to be selected as one of 50 to host this exhibition – sponsored by the FINRA Investor Education Foundation and the American Library Association – that is designed for children ages 10-16, and their parents to develop financial literacy. It will address topics such as saving money, spending and avoiding fraud.

“The purpose of the exhibit is to educate the community on finance,” said Sue Miller, a Peters Township librarian who submitted the application on behalf of the library last fall.

“When I started to do the research, I learned what a need there is for financial literacy in our area and on the country as a whole,” Miller said. “In Pennsylvania, high school kids are failing questions on personal finance. And at least half of the adults give themselves a C, D, or F in personal finance. FINRA and the ALA are trying to engage libraries across the country to engage communities on personal finance and try and get the level of understanding up.”

The “Thinking Money” exhibit will be at the Peters library March 28-May 4, 2017. The display will include story lines, as well as cast of graphic characters and digital activities aimed at helping kids and their families make sound financial decisions.

Coincidentally, Gov. Tom Wolf designated April as Financial Literacy month in Pennsylvania.

“The exhibit is going to be panels of interactive information, as well as iPads that you can go on and play games,” said Miller, who will be attending a day-long training session in June in Orlando on the program.

“This is a way to lift everyone up and get a bit more knowledge and understanding about how money works,” Miller said. “There are only seven states in the country that require kids in high school to take a personal finance course for graduation. Pennsylvania is not one of them.”

Myra Oleynik, the library director, said they want as many people as possible to come to the exhibit.

“I heard something recently that people were asked if they had to give someone $400, most people said they would have to borrow it,” Oleynik said.

“One of the things that attracted me was the focus on tweens, teens and adults,” Oleynik said. “One of the things I want to do is to have more collaboration between the schools and the library.”

To help bring this about, FINRA and ALA have given the Peters library a $1,000 programming allowance to hold public events related to financial topics, as well as training and support materials.

Jennifer, Murphy, assistant superintendent of the Peters Township School District, said having the exhibit will be a boost to local students.

“Teaching our students financial literacy is the important part of preparing them for life beyond high school,” Murphy said. “Having this exhibit come to Peters Township is a great opportunity to reinforce these valuable lessons.”