HomeCelebrate National Library Week April 18-24 - Top 10 Lists

Contact:  Larra Clark
Press Officer
312-280-5043
lclark@ala.org

CALENDAR NOTICE
For Immediate Release 
April 13, 2004            

Celebrate National Library Week April 18-24

CHICAGO -- First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April. It is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation's libraries and librarians and to promote library use and support. All types of libraries - school, public, academic and special - participate.

As part of National Library Week 2004, the ALA has prepared two top 10 lists about libraries and tips for getting the most from libraries:

10 surprising facts about libraries
1. The United States has more public libraries than McDonald's.
2. U.S. libraries circulate more items every day than FedEx ships packages (5.4 vs. 5.3 million).
3. U.S. public library cardholders outnumber Amazon customers by almost 5 to 1.
4. Americans go to libraries more than twice as often as they go to the movies.
5. Americans spend more than three times as much on salty snacks as they do on public libraries.
6. Libraries hold 16 billion books worldwide.
7. Libraries record more than 1.1 billion visits each year, compared to 204 million sports tickets sold in a year.
8. Students visit school library media centers almost 1.5 billion times during the school year.
9. Americans spend seven times as much money on home video games as they do on school library materials for their children.
10. College and university librarians answer 97 million reference questions each year.

10 tips for tapping library resources
1. Talk to your librarian - s/he can recommend books you might never have heard of, help with research topics, or just point you in the right direction. Librarians are the ultimate search engines.
2. Go online - more and more libraries offer 24/7 reference, gardening tips, recommended reading and more.
3. Vote smart - register to vote online at www.yourvotematters.org/ala, get information on local candidates and ballot initiatives.
4. Get ahead  - libraries offer business resource centers with information on how to start a small business, how to find a new job, networking groups and even how to research patents. 
5. Plan your next trip - libraries have the resources you need to figure out how to get from here to there and enjoy everything in between.  Check out audiobooks for that road trip. 
6. Research your family tree - many libraries offer classes on how to make the Web work for you, including popular genealogy classes.
7. Apply to college - libraries offer education directories, school guides and ratings and information on financial aid.
8. Take e-books for a test drive - many libraries offer online libraries and/or handheld e-book readers and e-books.
9. Reserve a room - libraries provide meeting space for community gatherings.
10. Join a book club - bring your friends or make new ones while sharing a love of reading.