Last chance to “Step Up to the Plate @ your library”;

Contact: Megan McFarlane


Campaign coordinator


Campaign for America’s Libraries


ALA’s Public Information Office


mmcfarlane@ala.org


312-280-2148

For Immediate Release


August 11, 2009

Program concludes September 1

CHICAGO – The American Library Association (ALA) and the National Baseball Hall of Fame want to remind you that there is still time to Step Up to the Plate @ your library.

All entries for the Step Up to the Plate @ your library program are due Sept. 1, giving baseball fans of all ages their final opportunity for a chance to win the grand prize, a trip to the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y.

To help meet the mailing deadline, libraries are encouraged to send collected entries in bulk. All entries must be postmarked by Sept. 1, 2009, and sent to: Step Up to the Plate @ your library, PO Box 118070, Chicago, IL 60611. No express mail packages will be accepted (Fed Ex, UPS, etc.).

All entries submitted through the Step Up to the Plate
Web site must also be submitted by Sept. 1.

One grand-prize winner will receive a trip to the Hall of Fame in October 2009.

As a reminder, libraries that bring in the most number of entries are eligible to win special incentives. The library that brings in the most entries will receive a $100 bookstore gift certificate, with the next three libraries receiving a $50 ALA Graphics gift certificate.

Season Four 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.

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. Trivia questions, developed by the library staff at the Hall of Fame, focus on multiculturalism in baseball and baseball around the world. Trivia questions and tools to help librarians promote the program locally are available on the program's
Web site.

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 that advocate the importance of the library in American society.

Other partners are the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Dollar General, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), Univision Radio, Verizon and Woman's Day magazine.