Has your library stepped up to the plate?

For Immediate Release
Tue, 07/27/2010

Contact:

Megan McFarlane

Submit your “Step Up to the Plate @ your library” story
 
CHICAGO - The Campaign for America’s Libraries is looking for stories showing how libraries are promoting the fifth season of Step Up to the Plate @ your library.
 
From now until August 17, libraries are encouraged to submit stories, photos and videos of Step Up to the Plate @ your library activities. They can send an e-mail to baseball@ala.org for possible posting to the Step Up to the Plate website. They may also be shared with national media as part of the American Library Association’s (ALA) Step Up to the Plate outreach.
 
Materials can include footage and photos from events, examples of signage, Step Up to the Plate public service announcements (PSAs), clips from local media or scans of publicity materials. 
 
Season five of Step Up to the Plate @ your library teams up two American classics - baseball and libraries - to promote the importance of information literacy skills and increase awareness of the library as an essential information resource.
 
If you haven’t stepped up to the plate yet, there is still time to get involved. Just visit www.ala.org/baseball for free tools to help promote the program locally. Plus, librarians who bring in the most entries can win incentives for participation. The library that brings in the most entries will get a $100 bookstore gift certificate. The next three libraries will receive a $50 ALA Graphics gift certificate.
 
Step Up to the Plate centers on a baseball trivia contest. People of all ages are encouraged to visit their library and answer a series of trivia questions inspired by the history and diversity of our national pastime. The questions, developed by the library staff at the Hall of Fame, are based on exhibits at the museum in Cooperstown, N.Y. Trivia questions and tools to help librarians promote the program locally are available on the program's website. 
 
One grand-prize winner will receive a trip to the Hall of Fame in October 2010.
 
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.
 
Other partners are Carnegie Corporation of New York, Disney Book Group, Dollar General Literacy Foundation, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), Univision Radio and Woman's Day magazine.