Think outside the barn at Visibility @ your library®

Contact: Megan McFarlane

Campaign Coordinator

Campaign for America’s Libraries

ALA Public Information Office

NEWS

For Immediate Release

September 22, 2009

Chicago – A new video on
Visibility @ your library features Bev Obert, executive director of the Rolling Prairie Library System, discussing the system’s public awareness campaign for rural libraries, “Think outside the barn @ your library.”

The Decatur, Illinois-based Rolling Prairie Library System created “Think outside the barn @ your library” to promote the value of librarians, libraries and their services to the residents of agricultural communities for the 2007 Farm Progress Show. The Farm Progress Show is held in Decatur every two years and is the nation’s largest agricultural show, with an annual attendance of 300,000 people from 20 states and 10 countries.

The “Think outside the barn” logo has appeared on banners, yard signs, coffee mugs, post-it notes and the staff’s polo shirts. Check out photos from the show on ALA’s
Flicker page.

“The theme catches people’s eye,” said Obert. “We use it as an opportunity to get people talking about their libraries, how they use their libraries.”

The Campaign for America’s Libraries, (
www.ala.org/@yourlibrary) is 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.

Visibility @ your library provides librarians and library supporter with news and information about important communications issues from ALA’s Public Information Office and the Campaign for America’s Libraries. It also contains links to the latest ALA News.