Second year of Drive to Read @ your libraryTM gets into gear; online tools now available

Contact: Megan Humphrey


312-280-4020

mhumphrey@ala.org

For Immediate Release


October 12, 2002

Second year of Drive to Read @ your library™ gets into gear; online tools now available

Librarians across the country are encouraged to gear up for the Drive to Read @ your library™ program, now entering its second lap. Developed by the American Library Association (ALA) and Morningstar Foods Inc., maker of HERSHEY®'S Milk, Drive to Read promotes the role of libraries and librarians by igniting interest in reading among America's teens.

The program, which officially launches the week of November 11, 2002, challenges teens across the country to talk about their favorite literary heroes. Based on a title from the Young Adult Library Services Association's (YALSA) 2002 Best Books for Young Adults list, teens will submit an entry describing which character seems most heroic to them. Teens may work alone or with their peers in teams of up to four and are encouraged to be creative in their submissions. They can write an essay, monologue or poem; paint a mural; or produce a video. Before teens send in their entry, a librarian must agree to sponsor it.

One lucky teen or team and the sponsoring librarian will win a trip to Miami in spring 2003 to meet NASCAR driver Ward Burton, program spokesperson and last year's Daytona 500 winner. A jury of YALSA members and teens will choose the winner(s) next April.

"Today's teens are looking for inspiration in their lives. Young adult literature is full of wonderful heroes who inspire and excite and offer meaning to an age group often defined by new challenges and change," says ALA President Maurice J. (Mitch) Freedman. "The Drive to Read program encourages teens to read for the fun of it by identifying with these characters, and at the same time, discover the world of resources libraries have available specifically for them."

Librarians can now access online tools to help promote the Drive to Read program at their library. All tools are available by visiting
@ your Library website and clicking on the Drive to Read @ your library icon or checking out
www.hersheysmilk.com/events/drivetoread. Tools include free downloadable posters and bookmarks; artwork of the official Drive to Read logo; sample press materials; and programming ideas. Librarians also can request free copies of a Drive to Read poster and bookmarks that will be sent directly to their library. Because of limited quantities, only one order will be shipped per library.

Teens aren't the only ones invited to get in on the fun. Libraries can win prizes for getting involved in the program. The first 100 libraries to register at the Drive to Read Web site will receive coupons for free HERSHEY'S Milk. In addition, librarians can enter the race through the Librarians in the Driver's Seat contest. The contest will award prizes to the three librarians who coordinate the most compelling local promotions in connection the Drive to Read @ your library program. Prizes include:

  • A visit from 53 feet of chocolate, a fully interactive exhibit housed in a customized tractor-trailer. Experience the sights and sounds of the stage area - featuring new and exciting music and videos displayed on 44-inch television monitors. Four activity tents flanking either side of the trailer offer video game stations and traditional carnival-style games featuring HERSHEY'S Milk and MilkShake bottles.
  • A month's supply of HERSHEY'S Milk delivered to your library
  • 100 Drive to Read @ your library T-shirts

More details about the Librarians in the Driver's Seat contest are available in the librarians section of the Drive to Read Web site at
www.hersheysmilk.com/events/drivetoread/librarians.asp.

Drive to Read @ your library is part of @ your library™, The Campaign for America's Libraries, a multi-year public education effort sponsored by the ALA to speak loudly and clearly about the value of libraries and librarians in the 21st century. Morningstar Foods Inc., a subsidiary of Dean Foods Company, is the producer and distributor of HERSHEY'S Milk and a founding partner in The Campaign for America's Libraries.

For more information on The Campaign for America's Libraries, please see
www.ala.org/@yourlibrary. Questions should be directed to
atyourlibrary@ala.org.