New award to honor librarian for promoting baseball and literacy or library services
Contact: Megan McFarlane
Campaign Coordinator
mmcfarlane@ala.org
For Immediate Release
June 4, 2007
New award to honor librarian for promoting baseball and literacy or library services
Winner to receive trip to 2008 Baseball Hall of Fame Game
Applications are available for “Batting for literacy @ your library,” a new award in conjunction with the Step Up to the Plate @ your library program. The award will honor an individual librarian who has used baseball to enhance literacy or library service.
The recipient will be awarded a trip to the 2008 Baseball Hall of Fame Game, an annual exhibition game between two major league teams at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y. The trip will include a behind-the-scenes tour of the library and museum.
Applications and guidelines are available at
www.ala.org/baseballaward. Librarians can nominate a colleague or themselves. Submissions should include a one-page description of how the nominee has used baseball to enhance literacy or library service and must be accompanied by examples of baseball-related programming, publicity for programming or other supporting materials. Applicants are encouraged to send examples of how the nominee promoted the Step Up to the Plate @ your library program.
All applications must be received by
September 1, 2007. Nominees must be ALA members in order to be eligible.
Step Up to the Plate @ your library, developed by ALA and the Baseball Hall of Fame, encourages kids between 9-18 years of age to go to their library, check out a baseball book and write about how a character inspired them. The program runs through September 1, 2007. More information and free tools to help librarians promote the program locally are available at
www.ala.org/baseball.
The Baseball Hall of Fame is a Founding Partner in The Campaign for America's Libraries.