Celebrate baseball at ALA Annual Conference

Contact: Megan McFarlane


Campaign Coordinator


Campaign for America’s Libraries


ALA Public Information Office

mmcfarlane@ala.org


312-280-2148

For Immediate Release


July 7, 2009

(CHICAGO) All American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference attendees are invited to step up to the plate and celebrate our national pastime.

ALA’s Campaign for America’s Libraries and Public Programs Office (PPO) will host “Pride and Passion: The African American Baseball Experience” from 10:30 a.m. to noon, Saturday, July 11, at McCormick Place West, in room W-192B.

The program features a distinguished panel of speakers, including Lawrence R. Hogan, author of “Shades of Glory: The Negro Leagues and the Story of African-American Baseball”; author Sharon Robinson, daughter of Jackie Robinson; Coretta Scott King Book Award winner Kadir Nelson, author and illustrator of “We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball”; and Susan Brandehoff of ALA's Public Program Office.

Following the program, author Phil Bildner and author/illustrator Loren Long of the children’s series “Sluggers” will be signing ALA Graphics’ new
“Sluggers” posters] at the Campaign for America’s Libraries’ exhibit space. The signing will take place from 12:30-1:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 11.  Librarians who purchase a poster at the signing will also receive a free copy of “Sluggers: Magic in the Outfield.”

All throughout the conference, librarians are invited to visit the “Pride and Passion: The African American Baseball Experience” traveling exhibit. The exhibit is based on a permanent exhibit at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the Hall of Fame and PPO.

There is still time to register for Step Up to the Plate @ your library, developed by the  Campaign for America’s Libraries and the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Step Up to the Plate @ your library brings together two American classics – libraries and baseball – to promote information literacy and the library as an essential information resource.Â




The program encourages library users of all ages to use the print and electronic resources to answer a series of trivia questions. One lucky winner will receive a trip to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Prizes are also available for the librarians who bring in the most entries. The program concludes September 1, 2009.

The Campaign for America’s Libraries is the American Library Association’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 in part by
ALA’s Library Champions.