Who Loves Their Librarian??

Nominations are open for the 2011 Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award through Sept. 12. Publicize this contest and encourage your customers to nominate! (There are tools here to help you promote the contest! A web icon, sample press materials, bookmarks, etc.--all ready to go!)

The award invites library users nationwide 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 are being accepted here.

The press release explains:

Up to 10 librarians will be selected.  Each will receive a $5,000 cash award, a plaque and will be honored at an awards ceremony and reception in New York, hosted by The New York Times, in December.  
Over the past three years, 30 librarians from across the country have won the I Love My Librarian Award.  Last year, more than 2,000 library users nationwide nominated a librarian.  Previous winners have been lauded for starting community gardens, helping students with severe disabilities read classic works of literature, for helping non-traditional students learn new technology to get better jobs and more.  For more information on previous winners, visit atyourlibrary.org/ilovemylibrarian.
Each nominee must be a librarian with a master’s degree from a program accredited by the ALA in library and information studies 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.
The Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award is administered by the Campaign for America’s Libraries, ALA’s public awareness campaign that promotes the value of libraries and librarians. The Campaign is made possible by ALA’s Library Champions, corporations and foundations.

Don't forget, nominations have to be in Sept. 12! 

TWIL Is Back from Summer Break

TWIL #49: Erna Winters (Managing Director at Public Library Kennemerwaard) from Jaap van de Geer on Vimeo.


This Week In Libraries is back from summer holiday and is filming again. On August 11, TWIL featured Erna Winters, a public library director in the Netherlands. I started casually watching the recorded episode today over lunch and it ended up being so interesting that I grabbed a piece of mail that was on the kitchen table and started taking notes on the envelope. 

Winters called herself "a typical librarian" and she turned out to be outspoken about advocacy and the need to spread messages & to convince politicians of libraries' value. I loved her passionate response to the whole "What do you say when someone tells you that we don't need libraries anymore?" question. One favorite quote: 

"If you want democracy to work, then you need people to get all the information you need to make your own judgments." In context, her point was that info pros are necessary in society to help gather all the trustworthy info on a topic so individuals can make well-informed decisions. 

Winters is also involved in a new partnership with a school that serves older teenage students. Every student will automatically receive a library card at the start of the year, and the school is paying for it. (In the Netherlands, everyone has to pay for library memberships.) This is a concerted effort to make sure all students have cards and then to promote benefits that will entice them to stay in town at the library instead of going right home after school. She also mentioned some other innovative projects that I'm going to keep an eye on. 

So if you want to hear from "a typical librarian" in Holland, listen to talk about innovation and advocacy, and get your creative juices flowing, watch the latest episode of This Week In Libraries! (And there's a new one every Thursday!)

Promoting Libraries With T-Shirts

It happened again the other day. I was in the grocery store, pushing my cart of food. As I was heading back a couple aisles to get that last item, a man in a crisp white shirt called out to me, "How do you vote for libraries?" 

I was wearing a bright red t-shirt that exclaimed "Vote for Libraries." He seemed to be a regional rep for this store; he was not wearing one of their everyday Acme shirts but he had a lanyard with an Acme ID card and was carrying a clipboard. He seemed to be standing around waiting for someone else nearby who was dressed like him. 

The shirt I was wearing came from Gale Cengage Learning.
The vendor had donated the shirts for the
ALA Rally on Capitol Hill that took place at the end of the
the 2010 Annual Conference.
See my pictures of the rally on Flickr.

After he asked the question, I pulled my cart right over and replied, "Well, when there is a bond issue or a township that's asking for a budget for a new or improved library, you should vote for it. Also, in national affairs, there are many votes that affect library funding and there are mailing lists where you can get the word about these votes and urge your representatives to support libraries." 

And so began a short, pleasant conversation with a total stranger. My bright t-shirt had started it all. 

It didn't take long before the man said, "Well, you know, with all the ebooks now, and bookstores closing, and newspapers being online, why would people still vote for libraries?" While I hate that assumption, I love getting the question because it gives me a chance for my elevator speech. I responded, "Yes, ebooks are getting bigger now, but you know, many libraries loan them too. Why go out and pay for all those downloads when you can get them for free? And the librarians can help you with technical issues if you have questions about your e-reader too." 

A look of surprise crossed his face. Typical. Many people stopped thinking "library" as soon as they changed from reading print to reading digital. They just assume libraries aren't changing with the times. 

We talked for a minute about ebooks; he complained about the limited ability to share books & I explained some of the snafus that originated with the publishers. I also went on to say that libraries are still valid b/c they offer so much computer training, job search assistance, entertainment programs, tech help, served as community centers, etc. The man listened intently; clearly all of this was new to him. By this time, his colleague had walked over and she listened with interest as well. Now I had a chance to tell two people why libraries still matter in the age of the internet -- and all because I was wearing a library t-shirt at the grocery store.

This is something I do a lot -- wear t-shirts everywhere and use them as conversation starters. It's simple but effective, and I meet lots of people that way. Recently, over at my Facebook page for Libraries Are Essential, I shared another story about a t-shirt talk, and put up a challenge for others to post pics of their own favorite library shirts. (Please join in!) 

Nancy & I at the 2010 ALA Rally

Do you have a story like this one? Do you wear your shirts out and create opportunities to talk one-on-one about the value of libraries? Share your own tales here or on the Facebook page!