Public awareness campaign showcases “Create your own story @ your library®” theme

CHICAGO - Southern State Community College library of Hillsboro, Ohio, is the winner of the 2011 Scholastic Library Publishing National Library Week Grant.
 
The $3,000 grant, sponsored by Scholastic Library Publishing and administered by the American Library Association’s (ALA) Public Awareness Committee, is awarded annually for the best public awareness campaign in support of National Library Week (April 10-16, 2011).This year, libraries were asked to develop a proposal using the 2011 National Library Week theme, “Create your own story @ your library.”

In the summer of 2009, the community of Hillsboro and Fayette County saw three major employers leave the area, resulting in an 11.2 percent unemployment rate. The Southern State Community College library will use the “Creating your own story @ your library” theme as a platform for promoting library services that help the residents of Fayette County start a new chapter in their lives.

Activities planned for National Library Week will focus on the whole community as they cope with difficult economic times. A key part of this will be hosting a job fair for adults and teens that will showcase local businesses in need of employees, as well as a presentation on online job seeking, a resume writing class and an interview skills workshop. In addition, a gallery night for people of all ages will focus on how area residents have transformed their hobbies and personal interests into rewarding careers.

During National Library Week, the library will work with public and school libraries in the county to promote programs and the unique resources each library has to offer the community. The library will continue to work with its National Library Week partners throughout the year with activities such as book, food and clothing drives, reading programs and awareness campaigns, in the hope of creating a unified message about the role libraries play in serving the community.

“We applaud the Southern State Community College library for working to remind its community that libraries are places where people can succeed in trying economic times,” said Sue Kowalski, chair of the National Library Week Subcommittee. “By working with the public and school libraries, the library reemphasizes the value that all types of libraries play in continuing education and life long learning.”

Throughout the spring, the library will work with local media and social networking sites to promote its National Library Week initiative to area residents and job seekers.

Members of the 2010 National Library Week Subcommittee are: Susan Kowalski, Pine Grove Junior High School, East Syracuse, N.Y.; Holly Clark Carroll, Poudre River Public Library, Fort Collins, Colo.; Renee DiPilato, Alexandria (Va.) Public Library, Duncan Library; Bev Obert, Rolling Prairie Library System, Decatur, Ill.;  Tony Tallent, Boulder (Colo.) Public Library; and Lisa Powell-Williams, Moline (Ill.) Public Library.

A copy of the winning proposal is available online at www.ala.org/nlwgrant.

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

Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) is the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books and a leader in educational technology. Scholastic Library Publishing, a division of Scholastic, creates a multitude of products, both in print and online, for the school and public library market under the imprints of Grolier®, Children’s Press®, Franklin Watts®, Grolier Online™ and TrueFlix™.
  

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