LLAMA seeks John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Awards entries

Contact: Fred Reuland


Marketing Specialist


LLAMA/ALA


312-280-5032


freuland@ala.org

NEWS


For Immediate Release


September 22, 2008

Entries for the 62nd John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Award are being accepted now
through Dec. 4 by the Library Leadership and Management Association (LLAMA).

Inaugurated in 1946, the John Cotton Dana Award honors outstanding library public relations programs that support a specific project, goal or activity, or a sustained, ongoing program (e.g. the promotion of a summer reading program, a year-long centennial celebration, fundraising for a new college library, an awareness campaign or an innovative partnership in the community). Winning entries receive $5,000 for their organizations, courtesy of the award’s sponsor, the H.W. Wilson Company.

“Winning campaigns aren’t always those conducted by libraries with the largest budgets,” said Patricia Marvel, chair of LLAMA’s Public Relations and Marketing Section (PRMS) and former John Cotton Dana Award judge. “Winners aren’t necessarily the ones with the flashiest graphics; they don’t have the biggest advertising budgets or a celebrity spokesperson. Winning campaigns are those that execute a thorough and creative strategic communication plan to solve a problem or satisfy a need, using tools like public and media relations, advertising, marketing collateral and community partnerships.”

"As a sponsor of the JCD award for more than 60 years, we're proud to see that the spirit of ingenuity in community relations is thriving among America's libraries," commented Harold Regan, president and CEO of The H.W. Wilson Company. "John Cotton Dana would be proud," added William Stanton, President of The H.W. Wilson Foundation. "We're happy to be involved in recognizing the best of the best and encouraging new heights of creativity and impact."

The contest is open to all libraries and agencies that promote library service. Entries can be for calendar year 2008 (January-December), school year 2007-2009 (Fall-Spring) or any special project that ends in 2008.

To see examples of the 2008 winning entries, visit the LLAMA Public Relations and Marketing Section web page at:
http://www.ala.org/ala/lama/lamacommittees/publicrelationsb/publicrelations.cfm

For an entry form, checklist, guidelines and tips, visit the H.W. Wilson web site at
http://www.hwwilson.com/jcdawards/nw_jcd.htm

John Cotton Dana (
1856 -
1929) was a highly influential
American
librarian and
museum director whose main objective was to make the library relevant to the daily lives of the citizens and to promote the benefits of reading. He was a public librarian for forty years and an early president of the ALA.

The mission of the Library Administration and Management Association (
www.ala.org/lama) is to encourage and nurture current and future library leaders, and to develop and promote outstanding leadership and management practices. LAMA is a division of the American Library Association.

An icon in the library community for more than 100 years, H.W. Wilson (
www.hwwilson.com) is dedicated to providing the highest-quality web and print resources in the world. H.W. Wilson products are familiar to generations of library users as standard tools in college, public, school, and professional libraries worldwide.