ALSC’s Kids! Campaign features art by David Diaz

Contact: Laura Schulte-Cooper


ALSC Program Officer


312-280-2165


lschulte@ala.org

NEWS


For Immediate Release


June 30, 2009

CHICAGO - Phase two of the Association for Library Service to Children’s (ALSC) Kids! @ your library® public awareness campaign features artwork created by award-winning children’s illustrator David Diaz especially for the campaign

Full-color, camera-ready PDFs of a mini-poster and bookmarks will be available free online for librarians to download and print for displays and as giveaways. Diaz’s colorful, imaginative artwork reinforces the message: there’s so much to see and do @ your library®. The PDFs will be available in the Kids! Campaign online tool kit beginning Sunday, July 12, after the phase two kickoff program.

“A.R.T. and Your Library: How You Can Bring Them Together!” will be held from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, July 12, in McCormick Place West, Room W-181. Children’s authors Avi, Brian Selznick, Pam Muñoz Ryan and Sarah Weeks will present a readers theater performance to demonstrate how librarians can successfully present readers theater in the library. Librarian presenters will share what’s new in the campaign tool kit and unveil the new Diaz artwork. Glossy copies of the mini-poster and bookmarks will be given away to program attendees.

Other new resources added in phase two, which focuses on tools to help librarians promote library services to kids in grades five through eight, include: two readers theater scripts, adapted from excerpts of "Bud, Not Buddy" by Christopher Paul Curtis and "The Library Card" by Jerry Spinelli; a readers theater “how to” guide providing tips on planning, promoting, and creating scripts for readers theater at the library; a library treasure hunt for grades 5 to 8; a fun mad lib-style game and challenging word search puzzle, each with a library theme; a compilation of successful programs just right for tweens; and information on how to get involved in letterboxing at the library. Also, a new navy blue and lime green version of the So Much to See. So Much to Do. @ your library® artwork is available in English, Spanish, Russian, Polish, and French. The artwork is ideal for promotional flyers and library handouts.

All campaign resources are free and available for download at HYPERLINK "http://www.ala.org/kids"
www.ala.org/kids.

The Kids! @ your library® Campaign, launched in 2006, provides tips and free resources to help local libraries promote their programs and services to youth and families. Phase one materials focus on children in grades K-4, their parents and caregivers. Phase two focuses on promotion to kids in grades five through eight. For more information about the Kids! @ your library® Campaign and to check out all the free tool kit materials available, visit www.ala.org/kids and click on the tool kit link.