Season six of Step Up to the Plate opens to the public

CHICAGO – In celebration of Major League Baseball’s Opening Day, the American Library Association’s (ALA) Campaign for America’s Libraries and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum have launched season six of Step Up to the Plate @ your library.



Step Up to the Plate @ your library teams up two American classics – libraries and baseball – to promote libraries and librarians as essential information resources.



The program encourages people of all ages to use the print and electronic resources available at their library to answer a series of trivia questions designed for their age group (10 and under; 11-13; 14-17; and 18 and over). This year, Step Up to the Plate connects generations by exploring baseball’s more than 150-year history through topics like famous baseball families and historical baseball franchises.



One grand-prize winner will receive a trip to the Hall of Fame in October 2011.



To gain access to a free online toolkit that includes program logos in both English and Spanish, a downloadable flier and bookmarks, register at www.atyourlibrary.org/baseball. Prizes are available for librarians who promote the program.

Step Up to the Plate is housed on ALA's public awareness website, atyourlibrary.org. All content on the site is offered under a Creative Commons license, allowing librarians to repurpose content for library newsletters, websites and blogs.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a Partner in The Campaign for America's Libraries, 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 in part by ALA’s Library Champions, corporations and foundations.