Step Up to the Plate @ your library(r) launch photographs now on Flickr
Contact: Megan McFarlane
Campaign Coordinator
(312)280-2148
mmcfarlane@ala.org
For Immediate Release,
April 22, 2008
Step Up to the Plate @ your library(r) launch photographs now on Flickr
<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />(CHICAGO) The third season of the Step Up to the Plate @ your library program officially launched earlier this month in Mobile, Ala., with Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith, and now photos from the launch are posted on Flickr at www.flickr.com/photos/alapio.
Photographs feature Smith speaking to students at the Baker High School library about the importance of libraries, local school library media specialists and a behind-the-scenes look at a video interview.
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.
Season three of the program is a whole new "ball game," celebrating the 100th anniversary of the song "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." People of all ages are encouraged to use the print and electronic resources at their library to answer a series of trivia questions inspired by the iconic song. Categories of questions include ballparks, baseball in popular culture, fan experience and baseball pioneers. One grand-prize winner will receive a trip to the Hall of Fame in October 2008.
Library users can visit the Step Up to the Plate Web site at www.ala.org/baseball to download a playbook of trivia questions for their age group (10 and under; 11-13; 14-17; 18 and up) or can submit their answers online.
Librarians are encouraged to visit the program Web site to register for free promotional tools to help promote the program locally. Tools include program logos in both English and Spanish and a toolkit that includes sample press materials and programming ideas. To date, more than 700 librarians from across the country have registered for the program.
Librarians who bring in the most entries can win incentives for participation in the program. The library that brings in the most entries will get a $100 bookstore gift certificate and a copy of "Baseball's Greatest Hit: The Story of 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game,'" by Andy Strasberg, Bob Thompson and Tim Wiles. The next three libraries will receive a $50 ALA Graphics gift certificate and a copy of "Baseball's Greatest Hit."
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a Partner in The Campaign for America's Libraries. Other Partners include Dollar General, International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and Woman's Day magazine. The Campaign is made possible in part by ALA's Library Champions, ALA's highest level of corporate members, who support public awareness on behalf of America's libraries.
