ALSC offers publicity tools to promote El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day)

CHICAGO — On April 30, families, children and communities will celebrate our nation’s rich cultural tapestry during El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day). Also known as Día, libraries across the country will host multicultural celebrations that include family programs, bilingual story hours, book giveaways and other literacy events.

Is your library hosting a Dia event? School and public libraries are welcome to promote their Día event with free publicity tools offered by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC). The Día Publicity Tool kit includes a number of templates libraries can use to publicize Día activities, including a Press Release Template, PSA Templates, Letter to the Editor Template, Proclamation Template, Flyer Template, Talking Points, Logos and downloadable Audio PSAs featuring Día founder Pat Mora, are all available http://tinyurl.com/diapubtools. Participating libraries are also encouraged to register their Día programs in the 2013 National Dia Program Registry to showcase their event and receive free Día bookmarks, stickers and buttons.

Día is sponsored by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association, and is an enhancement of Children’s Day, which began in 1925. Children’s Day was designated as a day to bring attention to the importance and well-being of children. In 1996, nationally acclaimed children’s book author Pat Mora proposed linking the celebration of childhood and children with literacy thus the inception of El día de los niños/El día de los libros.

Through a series of grants from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation and more recently the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, the Association for Library Service for Children (ALSC) continues to increase public awareness of the event in libraries throughout the country. ALSC is collaborating on this effort with the Founding Partner of Día, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking (REFORMA).

For book lists and additional information on Día please visit http:/dia.ala.org.