Baseball diversity shines in Step Up to the Plate @ your library®

                                      Contact: Megan McFarlane


Campaign coordinator


Campaign for America’s Libraries


ALA Public Information Office


312-280-2148


mmcfarlane@ala.org

For Immediate Release


May 26, 2009

(CHICAGO) Baseball is a melting pot, with a history spanning more than 150 years and players from places as varied as the Netherlands, Afghanistan and Japan. This year, libraries help remind fans what makes baseball the American pastime with Step Up to the Plate @ your library.

Step Up to the Plate 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.

Fans of all ages are encouraged to visit the library and put their baseball knowledge to the test, as well as learn more about the diversity of our national pastime, by using the print and electronic resources at the library to answer a series of trivia questions. Questions were developed by the library staff at the Baseball Hall of Fame and focus on the history and diversity of baseball. Trivia questions are available to library users on the
program's Web site and can be accessed in both English and Spanish.

Questions include:

  • What former Major League All-Star, born in the Netherlands, finished his career with 287 wins and 3,701 strikeouts?
  • Who is the only Major League player born in Afghanistan?
  • Which Japanese born player holds the record for hits in a single Major League season?

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

Librarians are encouraged to register for free tools to help promote the program locally on the
program Web site. Tools include program logos in both English and Spanish and a toolkit that includes sample press materials and programming ideas. Thousands of school and public librarians register for the program each year.


Librarians who bring in the most entries can win incentives for participation. The library that brings in the most entries will get a $100 bookstore gift certificate. The next three libraries will receive a $50 ALA Graphics gift certificate.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a Partner in
The Campaign for America's Libraries, 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, corporations and foundations who advocate the importance of the library in American society.Â

Other Partners include 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.

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