1998 John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Award Winners Announced

Nine winners of the 1998 John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Awards were announced today during the Midwinter Meeting of the American Library Association (ALA) in New Orleans.

The awards, which honor outstanding achievement in library public relations, are sponsored by The H. W. Wilson Company in Bronx, N.Y., and the Library Administration and Management Association (LAMA), an ALA division. The awards have been jointly sponsored by The H. W. Wilson Company and ALA since 1946.

In recognizing the winning library organizations, Sarah Kelley, chair of the John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Award Committee of the LAMA Public Relations Section, said, "The entries reflect the diverse activities of libraries today, from publicizing library programs to marketing new technologies."

The 1998 John Cotton Dana Awards will be presented to:

Brooklyn (N.Y.) Public Library for an energetic centennial campaign designed to increase visibility, launch a new foundation and create partnerships, built around the borough's past and its vision for the future.
Flint (Mich.) Public Library for its "eSource-Log On/Look UP/Find Out" effort which significantly increased public awareness of the growing number of electronic resources in the main and branch libraries. A well-planned multimedia campaign extended the library's mission of providing free and open access to information to more citizens and empowered the public with the know-how to use new electronic resources as easily and as conveniently as traditional library materials.
Illinois State Library, Springfield, for successfully promoting a state-wide bilingual public relations campaign to libraries, schools and literacy programs that encouraged families to read together. The theme "Read Together, Grow Together" culminated in a statewide Family Reading Night.
Multnomah County Library, Portland, Ore., for a call to "Come Home" to the restored Multnomah County Central Library that heralded an imaginative gala celebration, allowing old and new admirers to celebrate the rebirth of a much-loved, local landmark and demon-strated the community's pride in this gift to itself.
North Kingstown (R.I.) Free Library for creatively and resourcefully mobilizing community support for a fundraising campaign and bond referendum that resulted in timely library enhancements and a building expansion.
Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) Public Library for a successful telethon that raised the profile of the library and involved the enthusiastic participation of many previously uninvolved segments of the community. The telethon funded a new technology center and will become an annual event laying the groundwork for a bond issue to build a new larger library.
San Antonio Public Library for an all-out library effort to target teenage mothers with the message that babies are "Born to Read." The project included an original video, a bilingual manual, educational and community outreach programs.
San Francisco Public Library (Calif.) for "Brave Little Girls," a traveling exhibition and series of programs celebrating the courage and accomplishments of fictional and real girls from diverse backgrounds. With an unprecedented partnership of community organizations, companies, funders, volunteers and city employees, this program expanded public perception of the role a library can play in significant social issues.
Serra Cooperative Library System, San Diego (Calif.), for an innovative summer reading program entitled "Library Detectives Inc: The Case for Reading." The program featured enticing graphics, a young adult program and participation of 443 library sites.

Winning entries will be on display at the LAMA John Cotton Data Awards booth in the exhibit area during the American Library Association Annual Conference, June 25-July 2, in Washington, DC. Conference participants will also be able to view the entries on Sunday, June 28, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the LAMA "Swap and Shop" program.

The awards will be presented at a reception to be held during the ALA Annual Conference.

From the San Francisco Public Library's Dana Award winning "Brave Little Girls" Exhibit