CHICAGO - Some of the nation’s top experts will participate in a series of public awareness and media relations programs at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago (July 9-15).

“Pride and Passion: The African American Baseball Experience.” On Saturday, July 11, a panel discussion hosted by the ALA’s Campaign for America’s Libraries and Public Programs Office (PPO).will be held from 10:30 a.m. to noon at McCormick Place, room W-192B.

The program features Lawrence R. Hogan, author of “Shades of Glory: The Negro Leagues and the Story of African-American Baseball”; author Sharon Robinson, daughter of Jackie Robinson; Coretta Scott King Book Award winner Kadir Nelson, author and illustrator of “We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball”; Susan Brandehoff of ALA’s Public Program Office and others.

PR Forum: Delivering your key messages effectively through traditional and non traditional media. From 8 to 10 a.m., Sunday, July 12, in McCormick Place West room W-192B, a panel will address how to communicate effectively with multi-cultural audiences, reach audiences through social media, deliver library messages through radio and effectively use letters to the editor and op-eds.

Speakers include Tom McNamee, editorial page editor, Chicago Sun Times; Dave Baum, Chicago broadcaster and media trainer; Eric Friedenwald-Fishman, creative director/president, Metropolitan Group; Kevin Kirkpatrick, executive vice president, Metropolitan Group; George Eberhart, editor, American Libraries Direct; and Megan Humphrey, manager, Campaign for America’s Libraries.

The program is sponsored by the PR Assembly of the ALA Public Awareness Committee in cooperation with the ALA Public Information Office’s Campaign for America’s Libraries.

Media training: How to communicate effectively with the media and win. Legendary Chicago broadcaster Dave Baum returns Sunday afternoon to offer his popular media relations training session, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., at McCormick Place West in room W-194B. Baum will provide tips on how librarians can effectively deliver their key messages and garner favorable media coverage. Baum has trained dozens of ALA presidents and division president-elects since 2000.

The Campaign for America’s Libraries 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 in part by ALA’s Library Champions.

For more information, contact John Amundsen at jamundsen@ala.org

Contributed by Mark Gould, Director, ALA Public Information Office

Tags: ALA Annual Conference, ALA Membership, ALA News, Campaign for America's Libraries, National Library Week, State of America's Libraries Report by admin
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This year, Friends of Libraries U.S.A. (FOLUSA) and the Association for Library Trustees and Advocates (ALTA) joined forces to become an expanded division of ALA.

In this audio interview, Sally Gardner Reed, the executive director of the new organization, the Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations (ALTAFF), which is based in Philadelphia, talks about the new division and its potential.

Contributed by Mark Gould, Director, and Steve Zalusky, Manager of Communications, ALA Public Information Office

Tags: ALA Membership, ALA News, Podcasts by admin
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CHICAGO - The American Library Association (ALA) , along with a host of other non-profit organizations, will participate in United We Serve, a national effort launched by President Obama to engage more Americans in serving their communities this summer.

Libraries will play a major role in this initiative, which was announced by the President today.

The ALA and the White House are encouraging libraries to post volunteer opportunities at www.serve.gov. As the initiative develops, the ALA will make available resources to assist libraries in conducting volunteer efforts. Visit www.ala.org/unitedweserve for more information.

“In today’s economic climate, libraries face increasing challenges in carrying out their mission to provide opportunities for lifelong learning. In an era when demand for library services is increasing but funding for them is declining, volunteers play an important role in supplementing the high-quality service library staff provide,” said ALA President Jim Rettig. “We applaud the president’s recognition of volunteers’ value and his commitment to ensuring they continue to serve our society in many ways.”

United We Serve kicks off on June 22 and runs through September 11, which will be marked for the first time as a national day of service and remembrance. The initiative focuses on four key areas: education, health, energy and the environment; and community renewal. It is being led by the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that improves lives and strengthens communities though volunteering and service.

“This summer, I’m calling on all of you to make volunteerism and community service part of your daily life and the life of this nation,” said President Obama in his announcement. “Economic recovery is as much about what you’re doing in your communities as what we’re doing in Washington – and it’s going to take all of us, working together.”

“This presents a great opportunity for libraries of all types to involve young people as volunteers,” said ALA Executive Director Keith Michael Fiels. “This will also be a great opportunity to educate the public about the importance and vitality of America’s libraries.”

Libraries fit neatly into this new national initiative, since they already employ vast numbers of volunteers. One area where volunteers will prove especially valuable is summer reading. Summer reading programs are particularly effective in helping children avoid the “summer slide,” the decline in reading skills that sometimes occurs during the long break from school.

Research has shown that children who participate in summer library reading programs are better equipped to continue their education in the fall when they return to school, demonstrating better vocabulary skills and increased comprehension.

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This week the Today Show ran a segment on the important role libraries play during the recession, using data and resources provided by the ALA and public libraries:

The ALA Public Information Office worked with the Today Show on this segment and has followed up to encourage NBC affiliates to take up the story locally. But you can help extend the reach of this positive story in several ways:

1) Include the Today Show link on your library Web site

2) Reach out to your local media this week with your local story (particularly NBC affiliates), complemented by national data from the ALA. Two key data points from the Today Show were: 73% of public libraries report they provide the only free access to the Internet in their communities. This rises to 83 percent for rural libraries. Also, 68 percent of Americans have a library card.

3) Take advantage of free ALA resources to help tell your story to media, elected officials and funders:
Job-Seeking in U.S. Public Libraries
Using data from the Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study, the issues brief discusses the range of library resources available to job seekers and the challenges to maintaining these services. Additional briefing reports are at: http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/ors/plftas/Issues_Briefs.cfm. Get a free copy of the PDF by emailing Larra Clark at lclark@ala.org.

Advocating in a Tough Economy Toolkit
Get tips, tools and messages that work.

You can also use a PLA advocacy toolkit, Libraries Prosper with Passion, Purpose and Persuasion!, as a resource [http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/pla/plaadvocacy/librariesprospertoolkit/index.cfm]. The guide is available via the ALA online store.

Get the word out!

For questions or support around media outreach, please contact Macey Morales, mmorales@ala.org, or Jennifer Petersen, jpetersen@ala.org, in the ALA Public Information Office.
For questions or support around advocacy tools, please contact Marci Merola, mmerola@ala.org, or Jaclyn Finneke, jfinneke@ala.org.
For questions or support around statistics and research, please contact Denise Davis, dmdavis@ala.org, or Larra Clark at lclark@ala.org.

Contributed by Macey Morales, manager of media relations, ALA Public Information Office

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A Brian Williams report on msnbc.com is a prime example of crisis communication at work.

The segment, “Anatomy of a Talking Point,” part of an NBC special presentation, “Inside the Obama White House,” delivers an inside look at how the Obama administration handled a controversial statement made by Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor.

As Williams said, in countering criticism of the appointment, “(T)he White House decided to use its biggest weapon to hit back, the President himself.”

The report peeks behind the scenes, delving into the workings of the White House press office to show how it crafts an effective communication strategy to handle the crisis.

“I thought that the segment was the perfect illustration of crisis communication at its best,” said Macey Morales, manager of media relations in the American Library Association’s Public Information Office. “This segment provided a realistic behind-the-scenes approach to crisis management and how to develop and deliver effective messaging.”

The report follows the communications team as it gauges initial reaction to the controversy. At first, it underestimates that reaction, but as the talk shows pounce upon Sotomayor’s quote, it becomes clear a response will be necessary.

By late morning, the White House communications corps begins preparing a response.

Within a few hours, a press conference is held, while a senior staff member tests talking points during a cable news network interview.

Around the same time, the president is delivering a video address to be aired the next day. But as the avalanche of negative reaction gathers momentum, it becomes clear the president himself will have to take the reins, which he does during a news interview that evening, as he delivers the same talking points his staff delivered earlier.

The result of the president’s intervention is a quick turning of the tide of negative publicity in a positive direction.

The report underscores the importance of finding the right person to convey that message. Morales noted that while the press secretary hit a brick wall when using his talking points, President Obama hit a home run using those same talking points.

Contributed by Macey Morales, manager of media relations, and Steve Zalusky, manager of communications, ALA Public Information Office

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