Michael Dowling, director of the American Library Association’s (ALA) Chapter Relations Office, discusses the first-ever Money Smart Week @ your library (April 2 – 9, 2011) in a podcast on the American Library Association (ALA) Public Information Office (PIO) blog, Visibility @ your library.

Money Smart Week was initiated by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago in 2001 to promote personal financial literacy. Wanting to broaden the initiative’s reach nationally, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago has partnered this year with the American Library Association to create Money Smart Week @ your library.

In the podcast, Dowling discusses the importance of Smart Money Week @ your library, as well as the many valuable tools and resources the Chapter Relations Office offers to help libraries get involved. The podcast can be found by visiting the Visibility @ your library blog at www.pio.ala.org/visibility.

For more information on Money Smart Week visit www.moneysmartweek.org/ala, or contact Macey Morales, media relations manager at (312) 280-4393, mmorales@ala.org, or Jennifer Petersen, PR coordinator at (312) 280-5043, jpetersen@ala.org.



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ALA to release 2011 State of America’s Libraries Report

The American Library Association (ALA) will issue its annual State of America’s Libraries Report on April 11, 2011. The report documents trends in library usage and details the impact of library budget cuts, technology use and the various other challenges facing U.S. libraries.

In addition, the report provides information on First Amendment challenges as individuals and groups sought to have books or other materials removed from public access. The highly anticipated “Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2010” is included in the report. The list will include the reasons behind the challenges, as well as the overall number of challenges received in 2010.

For more information on the ALA please visit http://www.ala.org/. The report will be available at 9 a.m. CDT on April 11 at http://ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/mediapresscenter/americaslibraries2011/index.cfm.

Editors, please note:
The 2011 State of America’s Libraries Report will include an executive summary and artwork. To request a high-quality electronic artwork or to schedule interviews, please contact Macey Morales, ALA Media Relations Manager at 312-280-4393, mmorales@ala.org or Jennifer Petersen, PR Coordinator at 312-280-5043, jpetersen@ala.org.

The American Library Association (ALA) will issue its annual State of America’s Libraries Report on April 11, 2011. The report documents trends in library usage and details the impact of library budget cuts, technology use and the various other challenges facing U.S. libraries.

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Cuts to teaching positions, especially in Wisconsin, have gained considerable exposure in the news media. But not as well publicized is the fact that those cuts in school budgets are also having an impact on school librarian positions.

Dr. Nancy Everhart, president of the American Association of School Librarians, spoke out on the issue while on her Vision Tour. The goal of the tour is, in her words, to “visit a school library in every state in the U.S. in order to bring to the general public visual models of what good school libraries offer students and communities.”

In a statement issued last week, she said, “By eliminating school librarians, schools are losing a vital collaborator whose educational specialty is teaching lifelong, independent learning skills. Without these crucial skills, how will today’s students succeed in tomorrow’s global economy?”

The tour has given Everhart a chance to speak out against budget cuts to the local press in targeted areas, such as San Diego’s East County.

For more information, visit Everhart’s website, which includes video highlights of the tour, such as the one below from Walkertown Middle School, as well as local TV coverage.

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“Smart people” and “smart libraries” across Ireland last week celebrated the sixth annual Library Ireland Week (March 7-13, 2011) using the Campaign for America’s Libraries’ @ your library brand.

The @ your library brand, as well as the theme, “Smart people use smart libraries,” were featured on promotional materials for Library Ireland Week, which highlights the role that libraries, librarians and other information professionals play in Ireland. Materials included printed and downloadable posters, a bookmark and a short video that was featured on the Huffington Post.

Library Association of Ireland (LAI) chose the “Smart people use smart libraries” theme to remind the public of the relevance of libraries in a “smart economy,” to highlight technological developments in libraries and to demonstrate practical examples of interactions between technology and learning.

Libraries across the country hosted 340 public programs to support the theme. Programs included a genealogy program at the Clondalkin Library called “The Smart Library found my smart grandmother” and “Smart Researcher,” a discussion of library resources for doctors and patients at the Beaumont Hospital Library of Dublin.

Library Association of Ireland is a member of the Campaign for the World’s Libraries. The Campaign for the World’s Libraries was developed by the American Library Association (ALA) and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and is designed to showcase the unique and vital roles played by public, school, academic and special libraries worldwide.

Thirty-six countries have joined the campaign, and the @ your library brand has been translated into each country’s language. The @ your library brand is currently available in 31 languages. The logos are available for download in each of the partner country’s flag colors.

The Campaign for the World’s Libraries is a partner in 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 in part by ALA’s Library Champions, corporations and foundations.

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ALA President Roberta Stevens was quoted in a New York Times article this week that focused on the decision by HarperCollins Publishers to enforce restrictions on the number of times its e-books can be checked out at libraries.

“People are agitated for very good reasons,” Stevens said. “Library budgets are, at best, stagnant. E-book usage has been surging. And the other part of it is that there is grave concern that this model would be used by other publishers.”

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As libraries throughout the country continue to expand their collections for diverse communities, thousands will celebrate the 15th anniversary of El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day), also known as Día, on April 30, 2011. Libraries from coast-to-coast will host celebrations with family programs, including bilingual story hours, book giveaways and other literacy events.

School and public libraries can promote Día 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 (Word doc), PSA Templates, Letter to the Editor Template, Proclamation Template (Word doc), Post Card Templates (Word doc), Flyer Template (Word doc), Talking Points (Word doc), Logos and downloadable Audio PSAs featuring Día founder Pat Mora, are all available http://tinyurl.com/diapubtools. Participating libraries also will be able to register their events

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 grant from 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 www.ala.org/dia.

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