Enter to Win a JCD Award by December 4

Almost as if on cue, just after I posted the pictures of the 2010 John Cotton Dana Awards, I got the press release with details about entering the 2011 contest! Here it is:

Entries for the 64th John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Award are being accepted now through Dec. 4 by the Library Leadership and Management Association (LLAMA).

Inaugurated in 1946, the John Cotton Dana Award honors outstanding library public relations programs that support a specific project, goal or activity, or a sustained, ongoing program (e.g. the promotion of a summer reading program, a year-long centennial celebration, fundraising for a new college library, an awareness campaign or an innovative partnership in the community). Winning entries receive $5,000 for their organizations, courtesy of the award’s sponsor, the H.W. Wilson Company.

“We encourage all libraries regardless of their size or budget to consider applying for the John Cotton Dana Award. Wonderful things are happening across this country and internationally that should be shared with everyone,” said Kim Terry, chair of LLAMA’s John Cotton Dana Committee. “Campaigns that win this prestigious award are those that implement a thoroughly creative plan that communicates the many valuable services and programs provided by libraries to meet the increasing needs of their customers.”

The contest is open to all libraries and agencies that promote library service. Entries can be for calendar year 2010 (January-December), school year 2009-2010 (Fall-Spring) or any special project that ends in 2010.

For an entry form, checklist, guidelines and tips, visit the H.W. Wilson web site at http://www.hwwilson.com/jcdawards/nw_jcd.htm

John Cotton Dana (1856 -1929) was a highly influential American librarian and museum director whose main objective was to make the library relevant to the daily lives of the citizens and to promote the benefits of reading. He was a public librarian for forty years and an early president of the ALA.

While the December 4 deadline may seem far off, we'd encourage you to start now. The application calls for lots of detailed information, along with samples of work from your campaign. Most entries end up as a large binder or portfolio. In fact, going through all the steps of the entry process is a great lesson in proper marketing tactics. You can find extra tips in this article. 
Prepare your entry, and maybe your picture will appear here next year with the other 2011 winners!

John Cotton Dana Award Photos Are Here!

It's time to look back at this year's John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Awards, which were given out at ALA in June in Washington, DC. We have already posted the 2010 winners' announcement here, an announcement of the ceremony here, and a quick pic of Nancy with her award here. Now, however, I've managed to get the professional photos of all the winners, thanks to the award's sponsors: The H.W. Wilson Company, The H.W. Wilson Foundation, and LLAMA (the Library Leadership and Management Assn of ALA).

I believe this is the first time that all the pics will be published anywhere! They will also appear in the Sept/Oct issue of my newsletter, Marketing Library Services, due out later this week. 

The omnipresent gentlemen in all the pictures are the event’s hosts, Harry Regan, Wilson’s president (far right in the first photo below), and Bill Stanton (wearing glasses), the Wilson Foundation’s president.

Westbank Community Library District, Austin, Texas,

for “One Library: Two Locations; Building a Branch and Expanding a Community”

Pasco County Library System, Hudson, Fla.,
 for “Rockus Maximus: Battle of the Bands”

King County Library System,

Issaquah, Wash., for “Look to Your Library…Especially Now”

Main Marketing Maven: Marsha Iverson

(second from right, holding award)

Hackney Library at Barton College,

Wilson, N.C.,

for the “Band Book Tour”

San Francisco Public Library, for “Return the Books”

New Jersey State Library, 

Trenton, for “Tell Us Your Story”

Including The M Word bloggers:

Nancy Dowd (center) and

Kathy Dempsey (in blue)

along with State Librarian Norma Blake (right)

(absent: Gary Cooper, PR Director)

During the fancy awards ceremony at the beautiful Willard InterContinental hotel, guests enjoyed gorgeous flowers, lovely music, and a wonderful buffet. The JCD Awards are always an event worthy of America's most prestigious library PR prize.

The M Word team was thrilled to be among the winners this year, and we're always happy to keep bringing you the best in library marketing news, ideas, and tips. We hope you'll keep reading!

Nominations Open for 'I Love My Librarian Award' Till Sept. 20

Nominations are now open for the 2010 Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award. The award invites library users in the U.S. to recognize the accomplishments of librarians in public, school, college, community college and university libraries for their efforts to improve the lives of people in their community.

Nominations run through September 20 and are being accepted online.  

Details from the press release:

Up to 10 librarians will be selected.  Each will receive a $5,000 cash award, a plaque and a $500 travel stipend to attend an awards ceremony and reception in New York, hosted by The New York Times in December.  

Each nominee must be a librarian with a master’s degree from an ALA-accredited program or a master’s degree with a specialty in school library media from an educational unit accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education.  Nominees must be currently working in the United States in a public library, a library at an accredited two- or four-year college or university, or at an accredited K-12 school.

In 2008, Carnegie Corporation of New York awarded the American Library Association (ALA) $489,000 to support the award, which will continue annually through 2012.  The award continues in the tradition of one The New York Times presented from 2001 to 2006. 

Last year, more than 3,200 library users nationwide nominated a librarian.  For more information on last year’s winners, visit ilovelibraries.org/ilovemylibrarian.

Advocacy Webinar Recorded; Listen Free!

As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, Stephen Abram was giving a free webinar on advocacy. I listened in live today, and it was pretty good stuff. Unless you're an advocacy expert, there was something there for you.

The hour-long session was recorded and posted immediately, and you can access it here. Also, Abram wrote a related piece on his blog this afternoon where he posted the slides, added some thoughts, and answered the questions that listeners sent in during the show.  

A few of my own notes:

* Remember to respect the people we need to influence -- politicians, funders, people in charge. Bad-mouthing them and their policies doesn't do any good and builds animosity. And talking down to them doesn't help them to hear or to respect us.

* Advocacy is not a one-time event; it's a long-term strategy.

* You need to be doing advocacy work before you need the advocates!

Thanks to Gale Cengage Learning and the SirsiDynix Institute for presenting this valuable information for free. Check out the presentation for yourself and enjoy the slides! 

Ebook on Social Media Marketing Is Free to Download

A resource center called Go-To-Market Strategies is offering a free ebook download of a title called "Social Media Marketing GPS." To get the download, you need to register your name & contact info (and they hope you'll sign up to get their other email alerts). 

The email described the ebook like this: 

Forty prominent marketers from Canada, England, India and the United States were interviewed on Twitter. The focus was on how to leverage social media, not in terms of the technology, but as a vehicle to build and nurture stronger business relationships. Each tweet included the hash tag #smgps.

What developed was the first business book of interviews written on Twitter by the people who were working in the space. Twitter became both a content platform and a distribution channel.

I haven't downloaded or read this, but I have gotten other titles from this company, TradePub.com. It isn't geared toward libraries, but I think it's valuable to use business info that comes from outside our field. So if you're into social media, you might find this useful.

The form to complete to qualify for the free download is here. Note the questions that TradePub.com asks before it gives you the "free" book--this is how the book's sponsor builds its own database of people who are interested in this topic. (In tiny type at the bottom of the page is a link to the Privacy Policy.) So be sure to cull your free lesson in mailing-list marketing from this organization as it takes your info for its own purposes. Make it a two-way street.

The Accidental Library Marketer Book on Sale!!

If you've been meaning to buy a copy of my book, The Accidental Library Marketer, here's good news: Now you can get it for 40% off the regular price!!  

In fact, my publisher, Information Today, Inc., is having a Summer Sale on all of its great titles from now through August 30.


If you're reading this blog, you may also be interested in The Mobile Marketing Handbook by Kim Dushinski. There's also You Don't Look Like a Librarian: Shattering Stereotypes and Creating Positive New Images in the Internet Age by Ruth Kneale. And of course another favorite, ShanachieTour: A Library Road Trip Across America by The Dutch Guys. Information Today, Inc. has more than 150 titles to choose from, and you can apply this discount to as many as you like. But you need to order by August 30! 


Here's the official word:
For a limited time, we're offering a discount of 40% off the retail price on ITI books purchased online at www.infotoday.com.  Whether you're looking to start your own research business, create great library gaming experiences, create or manage information taxonomies, implement cutting-edge library services, or save and make money online, we have the book for you!


Ordering is secure and easy, and the discount applies to all in-stock titles published by ITI and featured on our website, including:


~ITI and CyberAge Books
~American Society for Indexing (ASI) Books
~American Society for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T) Books
~Plexus Publishing Books
~Conference Proceedings


To get the discount, use the code PCD10 when you check out!


Important: This discount offer applies to the regular retail cover price of each book and cannot be combined with any other discount offer. Directories and periodicals are excluded from this offer, as are titles distributed but not published by ITI. Standard shipping rates apply. For international orders please email our customer service department at custserv@infotoday.com for shipping costs. New Jersey residents please add 7% state sales tax.

So you've got 2 weeks to take advantage of this great deal. Check out the full list of titles and pick your favorites.

An Updated, Tech-Related, US Library Symbol

I hadn't realized until recently that the United States' standard library symbol had been updated to match the technological times. I'm thrilled! Here's the abbreviated info, from ALA:

The National Library Symbol, which depicts a generic human figure reading a book, was originally designed by Ralph E. DeVore for use in the Western Maryland Public Libraries. The ALA Council officially endorsed it in 1982. In March 1985, the symbol was accepted by the Federal Highway Administration for inclusion in their manual that sets highway sign standards. 

When Libraries Connect Communities 3: Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study 2008-2009 was released in 2009, the accompanying Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study Press Kit included a modernized take on the National Library Symbol, with the silhouette typing on a laptop computer. When Libraries Connect Communities 3: Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study 2008-2009 was released in 2009, the accompanying Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study Press Kit included a modernized take on the National Library Symbol, with the silhouette typing on a laptop computer. 

ALA's Larra Clark explained about the new symbol: "All hail Brian Benson, an Illinois graphic designer, who did the work for the ALA Office for Research & Statistics. It belongs to the library community, so feel free to make use of it."

Please note that this 2009 laptop version is not a replacement of the National Library Symbol. Any and all references to a National Library Symbol do still mean the 1982 logo with the book. The laptop image is meant to reflect the use of technology in libraries as outlined in the Libraries Connect Communities 3: Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study 2008-2009 but nothing more. Please do not hesitate to contact the ALA Library with any further questions.

All the details, plus links to the downloadable images, are on ALA Fact Sheeet 30.

Detroit Public Schools "I'm In Campaign"

Libraries should be the king of cause marketing and yet we often miss the mark. Shiv Singh and Peter Carter write about the winner of this year's Effies Award in the Harvard Business Review. No, not a library but close- the Detroit Public Schools. The campaign increased enrollment and brought in $49 million in incremental funding. Not bad. They outlined five lessons in the blog .

1. Cause marketing matters more than ever. We live in a difficult world. Through these difficult times we expect brands to do more for our communities. If they take the lead, we'll reward them. The Detroit Public Schools campaign and Ford's "Drive One 4 UR School" are perfect example of this. People are excited to rally around important causes and brands that engage authentically in this effort can benefit too. The critical factor is to find a cause that authentically relates to your brand's equity and culture.

2. Taking the right posture in an economic downturn can bring success. The economic downturn caused a lot of suffering, but it also created an opportunity for brands to say, "We understand what you're going through and we are going to do something different as a result." Programs that did well in 2010 were ones that understood the impact of the economic crisis and responded to it with the appropriate voice and tone. For example, Hyundai brought compassion and assurance to a new car purchase by offering to refund your money if you lost your job.

3. Advertising is dead, long live advertising. There's a meme in the world of business that consumers do not like advertising and even more broadly, that marketing communications does not work. If there's anything that the finalists and the winner showed is that there's a very direct line from successful marketing programs to an organization's bottom line. The Detroit Public Schools turned around a 10 year decline in enrollment with some paint and lumber. Hyundai was the only car company to grow while their other competitors declined by up to 40%.

4. Resonance, resonance resonance. We live in a cluttered media ecosystem. For a message to break through, it needs to resonate with customers. That's what Apple did with "There's an App For That" campaign, where different iPhone applications were matched with corresponding print publications. For example, the advertisement in Gourmet magazine only promoted food related applications. Simple but powerful. The Detroit Public Schools took their message to the streets, neighborhoods, and local events frequented by the residents of Detroit.

5. Marketing means creating movements. There is no doubt about it that the most effective marketing programs are the ones that rally people, encourage them to serve as social voices for the brands, and make them feel like they are part of something greater.

The Detroit Public Schools is a brilliant example of all that works in marketing in 2010. It had a simple and emotionally compelling idea. It had disruptive and brilliant creative executions. And it leveraged the power of personal persuasion to generate outstanding results. As judges, we had to compare the impact of a national effort like Hyundai "Assurance" with a local effort like DPS's "I'm In." In the end, we made our decision based on the magnitude of the challenge. Many of the finalists required people to change their minds or make major purchases during an economic downturn. The DPS "I'm In" campaign encouraged over 6,000 more people to put their most precious possession on the line — their child's future. That's great marketing."

What is the compelling cause that would have people rally around your library? For those of us who were faced with cut budgets, we were able to rally people to keep our doors open. That's great, but crisis marketing aside, what else is it about your library and what you do for your community that that would compel people to put lawn signs up on their front lawn? That's the starting point for a great campaign.

Apply for 2011 National Library Week Grant by Oct. 1

If you want to share your library’s story and raise public awareness, then apply for the 2011 Scholastic Library Publishing National Library Week (NLW) Grant. Next year’s NLW theme is Create your own story @ your library, and the applicant that develops the best public awareness campaign using that theme will win $3,000.

The annual grant is sponsored by Scholastic Library Publishing (a division of the global children’s publishing, education, and media company Scholastic) and is administered by ALA’s Public Awareness Committee. This year’s application deadline is October 1, 2010. National Library Week will be April 10–16, 2011.

The grant application form and guidelines are available online. 

Free Webinar on Advocacy by Stephen Abram!

Well-known librarian Stephen Abram will be doing a free webinar on advocacy on August 18. You don't want to miss it! It'll be called Advocacy for Libraries: In Our Own Interest.

He explains on his blog, "I am doing an advocacy webinar jointly for Gale Cengage Learning and the SirsiDynix Institute that we advertised on the buses to the Hill in DC at ALA."  

The details & sign-up are here. 

There's always lots of great stuff posted on Abram's blog, Stephen's Lighthouse -- if you're not reading it, start now! Stephen always tells it like it is. If you haven't seen him speak live somewhere around the world, you've been missing out. Sign up for the webinar!