Scholastic Library Publishing National Library Week Grant helps achieve libraries success

Contact: Megan McFarlane
Campaign Coordinator
mmcfarlane@ala.org
(312) 280-2148

NEWS
For Immediate Release
October 28, 2008

 

2009 Deadline extended


(CHICAGO) Sue Kowalski and Tony Tallent know what it takes to succeed @ your library.

As past winners of the Scholastic Library Publishing National Library Week Grant, both Kowalski and Tallent developed public awareness promotions that reached out to their respective communities in new and exciting ways.

In 2007, the Minoa (N.Y.) Elementary School library won the grant for the best campaign built around the National Library Week theme, “Come together @ your library.” Kowalski, then the Minoa Elementary librarian, along with library clerk Karen Spicola partnered with several local businesses and municipal agencies to encourage reading and libraries.

At a kick-off ceremony, the library presented partners with signs to display outside of the front doors of their buildings. In addition to using the “Come together @ your library” theme, each sign was customized with slogans such as, “Our Money is on Reading” (local bank) and, “You have the right to read” (police station). Each partner also received brochures about literacy and reading to distribute at its location.

“Thanks to the American Library Association National School Library Week grant, we were able to kick off and maintain a project that seemed rather impossible without some seed money,” said Kowalski. “We are currently planning our third annual celebration of National Library Week and thanks to the relationships we developed with the community during our initial year, each event gets bigger and better. The potential for these partnerships was always there, the grant was the boost we needed to make it a reality.”  

As the 2008 grant recipient, the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County (PLCMC) created a unique campaign by partnering with another library hundreds of miles away. Using, “Join the circle of knowledge @ your library,” the National Library Week theme, Tony Tallent, then the director of youth & outreach services at PLCMC, worked with local businesses, municipal agencies and the New York Public Library’s Donnell Children’s Room to promote reading and libraries. The libraries created a blog with the New York Public Library called “Broadening the Circle,” which served as a virtual community between the two organizations. The library also distributed Frisbee-like discs printed with the National Library Week theme at collaborating agencies and posted circular “knowledge boards” in the library, where library users wrote “knowledge bytes” of community wisdom and library support. Two “Knowledge Rocks” concerts in New York City and Charlotte kicked off and concluded the week.

“There’s nothing better than receiving encouragement and funding to simply celebrate the library,” said Tallent. “That is exactly what the Scholastic Library Publishing National Library Week Grant allows libraries to do each year. Last year, as the recipient, we were able to promote the library with the elbow room to have some fun. The Scholastic Library Publishing National Library Week Grant is one that offers opportunities to promote, partner and play.”

The deadline for the 2009 Scholastic Library Publishing National Library Week has been extended until November 14.

U.S. libraries of all types are invited to apply for a $3,000 grant that will be awarded to the best public awareness campaign that promotes the theme “Worlds connect @ your library” during National Library Week (April 12-18, 2009). Application forms and guidelines are available on The Campaign for America’s Libraries Web site at www.ala.org/@yourlibrary/nlwgrant.

All proposals must use the “Worlds connect @ your library” theme, which incorporates The Campaign for America's Libraries’ “@ your library” brand, on promotional and publicity material supporting National Library Week activities.  Guidelines for using the brand are available on the campaign Web site at www.ala.org/@yourlibrary under the “download logos” section.

The grant is sponsored by Scholastic Library Publishing, a division of Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, and is administered by the Public Awareness Committee of the American Library Association (ALA).

Information is also available from the ALA Public Information Office. Telephone: 800-545-2433, ext. 2148. E-mail: mmcfarlane@ala.org.

The winner will be notified and announced following the 2009 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Denver.  Both Kowalski and Tallent’s winning applications are posted at www.ala.org/@yourlibrary/nlwgrant.

For more information about The Campaign for America’s Libraries, visit
www.ala.org/@yourlibrary.
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