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Dear Colleague: I write today with exciting news. As part of The Campaign for America's Libraries, the American Library Association and Major League Baseball have joined together to develop the newly named Join the Major Leagues @ your library(tm). This program is designed to promote the role of libraries and librarians in helping people of all ages develop 21st century information literacy skills. Join the Major Leagues @ your library will be launched on Tuesday, May 14 in Los Angeles. We'll be unveiling the program at the Culver City Julian Dixon Library, part of the County of Los Angeles Public Library, plus Dodgers Stadium. The center of the program is a game that encourages players to use their information literacy skills. Players can download a "play book" filled with four categories of baseball questions from the @ your library campaign Web site. These questions correspond to the four bases on a baseball diamond and vary in difficulty. Players will, of course, need to use their library to answer the questions. All participants who successfully answer four questions correctly - or "join the major leagues" will be entered into a national sweepstakes. Two lucky winners will win tickets to a designated game of the 2002 Major League Baseball World Series. The program participants aren't the only people who can win an incredible prize package. You can, too. A special prize also will be awarded to the librarian who implements the best program related to Join the Major Leagues @ your library. One librarian winner will win tickets to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in July 2002, plus an event with Sharon Robinson, daughter of baseball great Jackie Robinson and author of Jackie's Nine, at his or her local library. So how can you get in the game? * On May 14, check out The Campaign for America's Libraries Web site at www.ala.org/@yourlibrary/jointhemajorleagues to learn more about the program and how you can begin to promote it @ your library. There will be sample press materials, downloadable artwork and other tools and resources to help you publicize the initiative. * Start thinking now of library programming that ties into the baseball theme for a chance to win tickets to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in July. Sample programming ideas, lists of great baseball books and films, information literacy resources (including what parents should know) and more will be available to help you suit up. * If you have a working relationship with your local home team, encourage them to air a Jumbotron announcement about Join the Major Leagues @ your library over the course of the program. MLB has distributed a script to all teams for possible use by their stadium announcers. If a team representative has questions, or needs additional information about the Jumbotron announcement, ask him/her to call Kimberly Allen-King at Major League Baseball at 212-931-7687. You also may wish to explore additional ways your library system and local team can promote the program. Many thanks to ALA Immediate Past-President Nancy Kranich and ALA President-Elect Mitch Freedman for their hard work in helping to bring this partnership about. I would also like to congratulate a talented working group of librarians who helped develop the program content: Nick Buron, Queens Borough Public Library; Ree DeDonato, Columbia University Libraries; Harriet Selverstone, recently retired from Norwalk (Conn.) High School; and Caroline Ward, Ferguson (Conn.) Library. We urge you to put on your coach's cap and join the team as two American classics - libraries and baseball - come together for what promises to be an exciting program and a terrific partnership. Sincerely, John W. Berry ALA President ***** --------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Include in body: unsubscribe ctls-l For information on CTLS-L please visit: http://www.ctls.net/document/ctls-l.htm
