League of Women Voters--Know Your County

By an Act of the Legislature, July 1, 1971, Intermediate Units were set up, whereby Lebanon and Lancaster counties combined 22 school districts to form Intermediate Unit 13. This I.U. is governed by a board of 22 members based on quotas of the two counties. Lebanon has six members elected for three-year terms. An executive director oversees the 1.U. Among the services that are available on request as needed by any school are:

On the outskirts of the City of Lebanon is the Lebanon County Career & Technology Center. Here, specialized vocational training is added to the traditional academic programs of the county high schools. At present, the staff numbers 68, and the school serves 550 seniors from all city and county high schools.

A wide variety of courses are offered: Practical nursing, cosmetology, carpentry, plumbing, culinary arts, HVAC, auto mechanics, food preparation, marketing and management, electrical technology, automated office systems, welding, child care services, law enforcement and security, building maintenance, electronics, printing, visual and broadcast technology, wholesaling and distribution, health careers, pastry arts, diesel trucks, drafting and design, landscape and floral design, computer information, industrial machine and auto body technology. There are also adult education programs in the evening hours through Lebanon City Schools. These include computer education, conversational Spanish and English, bridge, quilting and many other crafts.

The county schools operate a school lunch program in most schools. Homebound instruction is also provided when needed.

The Lebanon Adult Education Center, located at One Cumberland Street, Lebanon offers the following courses:

The Literacy Council, also located at One Cumberland Street, Lebanon, assists adults in learning basic reading skills.

Assistance in obtaining citizenship is available from Susanne Ziegler at 273-1088.

The Harrisburg Area Community College, Lebanon Campus, located at735 Cumberland Street in downtown Lebanon, serves approximately 700 students a semester in its academic programs and 300 students in its continuing education programs. The Lebanon Campus offers credit courses that lead to two year associate degrees in transfer programs such as Business Administration, Criminal Justice, Education, Social Services; two year associate degrees in career programs such as Accounting, Business Management, Computer In formation Systems, Early Childhood Education, Human Services, Legal Assistant; and, one year certificates in career programs such as Accounting, Business, Child care and Office Information Systems Specialist .Non credit courses in areas such as computer applications, business development, personal growth, languages, health field interests, money management, health and fitness, food, fine arts, family history, family living, home, crafts and career development are offered by the campus. In addition, customized employee-training programs for business, industry and other organizations can be arranged.

The campus houses classrooms, computer and science laboratories, the Pushnik Family Library, a learning center, an art gallery and a multipurpose room. In addition to instructional services, the campus provides assistance with financial aid and career and academic counseling.

The campus also serves as a site for community cultural activities such as the Central Pennsylvania Symphony, the Lebanon Community Band, performances by Gretna Theater, the Lebanon Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony, showings for the Lebanon Valley Council on the Arts and heritage festivals that highlight different aspects of all cultures of the Lebanon Valley.

Other than lending books, library services include answering reference questions, providing large type books and technology for persons with defective vision, newspaper listings of new books, and children's story time hour. It is also possible to obtain books from other libraries throughout Pennsylvania by means of an interlibrary loan. The operating budget for the libraries is approximately $558,000. Funds come from the County, United Way, state aid, private donations, Friends of the Library organization and other municipal units. A Library Board of Directors is responsible for the operation of the libraries.

The Vernon & Doris Bishop Library of Lebanon Valley College has volumes totaling 160,000, including catalogued recordings, microfilm, periodicals and bound volumes. By special arrangement with the library, books may be borrowed by the general public. A new facility, projected to open early in 1996 will have the latest technology to access data and information from around the world.

The law library, located in the Lebanon County Courthouse and the medical library at the Good Samaritan Hospital are also available for public use.