Oakleaf Wins 2019 ACRL/IS Award

Megan Oakleaf, associate professor and director of instructional quality at Syracuse University, has won the ACRL Instruction Section’s (IS) Miriam Dudley Instruction Librarian Award. Named for Miriam Dudley, whose efforts in the field of information literacy led to the formation of the IS, the award recognizes a librarian who has made a significant contribution to the advancement of instruction in a college or research library environment. It consists of $1,000 and a plaque.

“From 2007–2016, Megan made a lifetime impact on those who attended the assessment track of the ACRL Information Literacy Immersion Program where she developed curriculum and led conversations that initiated librarians into the complexities of what needs to be assessed and why,” says award chair Merinda Kaye Hensley.

Oakleaf is widely known for writing the 2010 ACRL publication, “The Value of Academic Libraries: A Comprehensive Research Review and Report.”

PLA Awards: Signs of the Times

Two recipients of awards from PLA connect to marketing and outreach and also reflect signs of the times in the U.S.

The EBSCO Excellence in Rural Library Service Award “honors a public library for exemplary service to a community of 10,000 or fewer people whose top per-capita income is less than the 75 percent of the national average.” This year, the $1,000 award was given to the Copper Queen Library in Bisbee, Ariz., a low-income, rural community along the border of the U.S. and Mexico. During the past 3 years, Copper Queen “has introduced a wide variety of new programs and services focused on outreach to underserved populations.”

The Gordon M. Conable Award “honors a public library staff member, a library trustee, or a public library that has demonstrated a commitment to intellectual freedom and the Library Bill of Rights.” This year, the $1,500 award was given to Fairfax County Public Library in Virginia. FCPL partnered with the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at Virginia’s George Mason University “to develop and present a series of public workshops around media literacy and civil communication aimed at decreasing political polarization.”

Find more about these awards and others at http://bit.ly/2KvvJJV.

Patrick Sweeney Recognized as a Top Political Consultant

The American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) has bestowed EveryLibrary’s Patrick “PC” Sweeney with one of its “40 Under 40” awards (https://theaapc.org/40-under-40-winners-class-of-2019). This prestigious award recognizes the best political strategists in the U.S.

As political director for EveryLibrary, the first and only national political action committee for libraries, Sweeney does nonpartisan political consulting work on behalf of libraries. According to a press release, since 2012, Sweeney “has been instrumental in helping nearly 100 libraries on their Election Days and for growing the EveryLibrary digital network of library activists to over 300,000 Americans on social media.”

Candidates for this AAPC award were evaluated on leadership and professional accomplishments in politics and public affairs and for their contributions to the health of the political business community. This year’s winners were 18 Republicans, 18 Democrats, and 4 nonpartisan professionals.

CILIP Works to Promote Information as an Asset

CILIP, the U.K.’s Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, says in a recent press release that it is “committed to having quality conversations to ensure information is managed as an asset by boards and decision-makers.” To this end, it has partnered with industry stakeholders KPMG UK, CIO Connect, and IK SpringBoard to launch a new report, “Information as an Asset: Today’s Board Agenda.”

This report aims to reach C-suite executives and senior decision makers to remind them of the value of their strategic information assets and encourage them to invest in their proper management. This, of course, promotes the value of information- and knowledge-management workers.

“Information as an Asset” provides a framework and checklist for board members and decision makers and includes case studies from large companies (including KPMG itself). To share the report with your own administrators to remind them of the value of info assets—and those who manage them—download it for free from www.cilip.org.uk/informationasset.

New ALA Title to Help Reboot Book Clubs

ALA Editions, in cooperation with ALA’s Public Programs Office, has published Book Club Reboot: 71 Creative Twists (www.alastore.ala.org/content/book-club-reboot-71-creative-twists). The book aims to help librarians refresh their book clubs by profiling dozens of successful ones from across the U.S.

Co-authors Sarah Ostman and Stephanie Saba combined their own research with peers’ responses collected through social media, electronic mailing lists, enewsletters, and websites to advise fellow librarians on how to keep their book clubs from growing stagnant. It shares real projects from public, school, and academic libraries of varying sizes. The 144-page book costs $49.99, or $44.99 for ALA members.

ACRL and Gale Launch ‘Libraries Transform’ Marketing Toolkit

During the ACRL 2019 conference in Cleveland in April, the association announced that it had partnered with Gale to create a free resource, the ACRL Libraries Transform Toolkit (https://acrl.libguides.com/transform). It was designed to help academic and research librarians “develop effective marketing and outreach strategies to promote their services and impact to students, faculty and administrators,” according to the press release.

This new toolkit extends ALA’s Libraries Transform public awareness campaign. Its key components include instructions on basic marketing tasks, “Because” statement templates, a framework for community outreach and communication strategies, and methods for measuring impact. One goal was to make the toolkit adaptable for any library or organizational context, even those with limited resources.

“The toolkit provides academic libraries with the guidance needed to develop, execute and measure their community engagement efforts alongside their strategic marketing plans,” says Cinthya Ippoliti, chair of the ACRL Libraries Transform Task Force. She adds that this toolkit “also allows for materials to be uploaded and shared … so that everyone can contribute to its content.”

ALA Releases Annual ‘State of America’s Libraries’ Report

Just in time for National Library Week in April, ALA released “The State of America’s Libraries 2019” report, an annual summary of trends, statistics, and issues from public, school, and academic libraries.

ALA’s accompanying press release says, “Libraries are a microcosm of the larger society,” and reminds its readers that public libraries are often lifelines for vulnerable communities. The new publication reports that some of the biggest challenges today are addressing homelessness, inclusion, and social justice, along with keeping federal funding.

The full report, available at http://bit.ly/soal-2019, contains a wealth of other data as well as interesting factoids library marketers can use to promote the value of information professionals and libraries. There’s also a page of promotional resources at www.ala.org/news/state-americas-libraries-report-2019-promotional-materials; it includes quotes, downloadable logos and social media images, and infographics. This is good fodder for your own reports and campaigns.

ALA Unveils Two Advocacy Tools

ALA has released two new tools to help library advocates share their stories on digital platforms. Both tools are meant to work in conjunction with the #MyLibraryMyStory initiative (www.ala.org/conferencesevents/take-action-for-libraries-day).

The first is the Social Media Advocacy Toolkit, which includes best practices and effective tips for enhancing the impact of library stories. It contains sample posts for Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. 

The second toolkit is the Live Stream and Video Storytelling Checklist, which is meant to help advocates create high-quality videos on social media. It includes an equipment list and step-by-step instructions for shooting video for Facebook Live and Instagram Live.

ALA has been releasing new advocacy resources throughout 2019, and they’re available at www.ala.org/advocacy. “We are working to innovate on the ways we have traditionally engaged with key stakeholders in order to build stronger relationships,” according to Kathi Kromer, ALA’s associate executive director for public policy and advocacy. “ALA is focused on building relationships with decision makers and making sure ALA advocates in the field are well-supported to do the same. It’s our mission to get as many tools as possible into the hands of library workers, users and friends.”