Recently in PR Category

There are a variety of events coming up this Fall that you can promote at your library. Here's a gathering of a few with links to ideas and additional info.

Library Card Sign-up Month
September
The InfoSoup PR Committee sent out some cool posters to all OWLSnet directors to be posted in your community by September 1st to help celebrate this event. Please be sure to get the posters up, and if you need more, order some from Bradd. Read more about the Poster Campaign on the InfoSoup Info page.

AskAway Week
September 8-12
Help promote the Wisconsin Virtual Reference service AskAway. A press release, article, scripts, MP3 files, logo, and more are available for your use on the AskAway PR Wiki. 

Banned Books Week
September 27-October 4
Celebrate the freedom to read! Learn more about Banned Books Week, how to celebrate it at your library, and order promotional items on the ALA website. I also came across some great quotes to use via the PR-Talk discussion list. Here are a few:

• "Books and ideas are the most effective weapons against intolerance and ignorance." Lyndon Baines Johnson
• "We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people." John Kennedy
• "The ultimate expression of free speech lies not in the ideas with which we agree, but in those ideas that offend and irritate us." Chuck Stone
• "Don't join the book burners. Don't think you are going to conceal thoughts by concealing evidence that they ever existed." Dwight D. Eisenhower
  

Teen Read Week
October 12-18
This year's theme is Books with Bite@ Your Library! Read more about this event and how to promote it at your library on the YALSA website.

Will you be celebrating any of these events or others in your library this Fall? Let us know what you have in the works!

> contributed by Beth

There was recently a discussion thread on PR-Talk regarding library annual reports, formats used, etc. One reader submitted a link to Omaha Public Library's annual report from 2005/2006. Take a look at this pdf and see what you think (warning - the file is large, so it'll take a minute or two to completely download). It's certainly not your typical annual report,  eh? But probably a lot more fun to create! This might be a fun way to promote what your library does, whether for an annual report or a program or other special event.

What would your community think of something like this?

> contributed by Beth

Are you doing something super cool at your library to promote literacy? The World Book/ALA Information Literacy Goal Award is a $5000 award that, “is designed to encourage and support innovative and effective information literacy programs in today’s school and public libraries. Applications are due December 1 and can be found on the ALA website.

> contributed by Holly

I recently came across a fantastic service on the Waupaca Area Public Library homepage called Book a Librarian:

"Do you have questions on using computer applications, Internet, or setting up an email account or want assistance with the new microfilm machine? Call 715-258-4416 to reserve time with one of our knowledgeable professionals."

Great marketing of your services and professional staff, WAU! Are any of the other OWLS member libraries doing this? Add yourself in the comments if you are or if you're interested in trying it out.

> contributed by Beth

When reading the recent issue of Marketing Library Services, I came across an article about a place called DOK in the Netherlands, in Delft, to be precise. DOK calls itself a "Library Concept Center," mashing media, music, film, literature, and art together in an amazing, active, and thriving community center.

The mission of DOK is to become and remain the most advanced library in the world. Using creativity, technical innovation, and advancing scientific understanding, DOK endeavors to be an indispensable source of inspiration for its members, visitors, and partners in the city of Delft, in the Netherlands, and in the world. In this way, DOK hopes to safeguard access to the independent, objective, free flow of information that is essential for democracy now and in the future. 

Be sure the read the full article, because I think you'll be inspired by it. Jenny Levine, blogger also known as The Shifted Librarian, recently visited DOK and wrote about her trip in her blog. Take a look at Visiting the Most Modern Library in the World to see her take on this unique facility. She has also shared her photos of the trip in a Flickr set, so be sure to check that out while you're at it.

After you read the articles posted here, what do you think? Has DOK inspired you to look differently at your library? What kind of library would you like to have, assuming there were no limitations in budget, staff, or any of the other restrictions we feel daily?

>> contributed by Beth

With the theme "Join the Circle of Knowledge @ Your Library," National Library Week is quickly approaching on April 13-19, 2008. This year's honorary chair is Academy Award-winning actress Julie Andrews. Take a look at her YouTube video in which she discusses the value of libraries:



For more information about National Library Week, visit the ALA web site. How will your library celebrate National Library Week this year?

>> contributed by Beth

Yesterday, the InfoSoup PR Committee selected the winners of our January InfoSoup YouTube Contest. We were very happy with the results of the contest and love the 1st and 2nd place winners we selected. Here are the winning videos:

1st place goes to Megan Kugel for "InfoSoup vs. Card Catalog."

What a great advertisement for InfoSoup, huh? Embed the video on your web site and spread the word about how cool InfoSoup is!

2nd place goes to Jodi Sellhausen for "When InfoSoup Comes to Town..."

Other entries can be found on the contest page on InfoSoup. Be sure to take a look, because there are some good ones there, too! Thanks to everyone who promoted the contest for us. It was great fun, and we hope to do another one in the future.

>> contributed by Beth

We have limited amounts of AskAway promotional materials - pencils, posters, and magnets. If you would like some for your library, please contact Evan and he'll send them out to you. There is also an AskAway PR Kit available online. Check there for ideas on how to promote this service at your library.

>> contributed by Beth

Teen Tech Week is coming up on March 2-8 this year. There is still time to order posters, pens, bookmarks, etc. to help raise teens' awareness of your cutting-edge resources. The deadline to order is Monday, February 8th, and you can order online. Keep in mind that Bradd, OWLS' new graphic arts specialist, is available to design materials for Teen Tech Week, too. Give him a call!

>> contributed by Beth

There's still time for you or your patrons to participate in the InfoSoup YouTube contest! The contest runs through the month of January and prizes will be awarded to the top 2 winners (library staff and their family members are not eligible for prizes, though - sorry!). Details about the contest and how to enter can be found on the InfoSoup YouTube Contest page.

Promotional information for you to use at your library and in your community are available on the InfoSoup Info page on OWLSnet. Posters to print, a media release, a letter to schools, and more are all included there, so please take a look and encourage your patrons to enter!

Check out our first entry in the contest at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFBh44kkikY.

>> contributed by Beth