Contact: Megan McFarlane
Campaign Coordinator
Campaign for America’s Libraries
ALA Public Information Office
mmcfarlane@ala.org
312-280-2148
For Immediate Release
June 30, 2009
CHICAGO - Since its spring kickoff, more than 1,000 public and school librarians from across the country have signed up for season four of Step Up to the Plate @ your library.
Developed by American Library Association (ALA)’s Campaign for America’s Libraries and the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Step Up to the Plate @ your library brings together two American classics – libraries and baseball – to promote information literacy and the library as an essential information resource.Ã
For librarians interested in promoting Step Up to the Plate @ your library, there is still time to register. The program will run through Sept. 1, 2009.
Free tools are available to help promote Step Up to the Plate locally for librarians who register. Tools include logos in both English and Spanish, downloadable poster and bookmarks and library success stories, as well as a toolkit that includes sample press materials and programming ideas.
Step Up to the Plate @ your library encourages people of all ages to use the print and electronic resources available at their library to answer a series of trivia questions. Developed by the librarians at the Baseball Hall of Fame the questions were inspired by the history and diversity of our national pastime. Questions were developed for four ages groups (10 and under, 11-13, 14-17 and 18 and over), and are available in English and Spanish.
One grand-prize winner will receive a trip for two in October to the Hall of Fame’s World Series Gala event in Cooperstown, N.Y., including a behind-the-scenes tour of the library and archives.Ã
Librarians can also win prizes. The librarian who brings in the most entries will receive a $100 bookstore gift certificate; the next three librarians will receive a $50 ALA Graphics certificate.
The Hall of Fame is a partner in the Campaign for America’s Libraries ( www.ala.org/@yourlibrary), ALA’s public awareness campaign that promotes the value of libraries and librarians. Thousands of libraries of all types – across the country and around the globe - use the Campaign’s @ your library® brand. The Campaign is made possible by ALA’s Library Champions, corporations and foundations that advocate the importance of the library in American society.
Other partners are the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Dollar General, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), Univision Radio, Verizon and Woman's Day magazine.