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Transportation Librarians Roundtable
12 Marchl 2009
Today’s Session:

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BULLHORNS, BRIDGES, AND BOOKMARKS: HOW TO MAKE THIS YEAR’S NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK THE BEST EVER

Transportation Librarians Roundtable

March 12, 2009

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National Library Week

First observed in 1958.

A nationwide effort each year in April to celebrate the role of libraries and also to promote their continued use and support.

"Libraries sustain and enhance our national life. fundamental and vibrant resource for human intellectual and cultural development. . . I ask that National Library Week become a rallying point for cooperative, year-round efforts to provide the library services necessary to meet the diverse and changing needs of all the American people."

President Lyndon B. Johnson

April 10, 1964

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What Do We Do for National Library Week?

Showcase new and/or unique features

Publicize Our Libraries

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Give a quiz on online catalog use, with gift certificates as prizes (Connie Field, Portland Cement Association)

Carry out an information scavenger hunt, DOT IQ quiz, and information session (Amanda Wilson, National Transportation Library)

Ask people to vote for their favorite daily newspapers, thereby providing input on future library newspaper acquisitions (Jennifer Boteler, FHWA Research Library)

Conduct a book swap, in which people leave a book at the library but also take one (Jennifer Boteler, FHWA Research Library)

Provide bike and state highway maps (John Cherney, Wisconsin DOT Library)

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What Do We Do for National Library Week?

Sponsor a display of new books (Jane Minotti, NYS DOT Research Library)

Hold a library trivia challenge (Jane Minotti, NYS DOT Research Library)

Provide staff with the link to a National Library Week YouTube video (Andrea Avni, Sound Transit)

Set up large-scale informational and video displays, including “Did you know? . . .” factoids about library resources (Kathy Szolomayer, WSDOT Library)

Offer library training sessions (Kathy Szolomayer, WSDOT Library)

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What Do We Do for National Library Week?

Supply new maps of the library to help users better navigate it (Ken Winter, VDOT Research Library)

Set up a “What Have You Read?” board so that people can post the titles of favorite books that they recommend (Pamela Shofner, Maine DOT Library)

Hand out LifeSaver candies to symbolize the “circle of knowledge” (Betsy Aldridge, PACCAR Technical Library)

Develop articles on libraries for external publications (Qin Tang, MnDOT Library)

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National Library Week at AASHTO

Trivia Questions
Which group of people delivered library materials directly to homes and schools in Eastern Kentucky during the Great Depression?
Which car was featured on the covers of Time and Newsweek magazines the same week in 1964?
In what movie does Marian the Librarian make available such scandalous materials as the works of Balzac and Chaucer?
A Crossword Puzzle with Transportation- and Library-Themed Answers
National Library Week Bookmarks

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National Library Week at AASHTO

The State Services Organization Library in the Hall of the States Where AASHTO is Headquartered
Open House
Training Sessions
Introduction to LexisNexis
Accessing Congressional Information Resources
Education/Energy/Environment/Homeland Security Resources

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People need to know we will do whatever is
necessary to get the information they need.”

David Ongley
Director
Tuzzy Consortium Library

Barrow, Alaska

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The 2009 National Library Week

1. Ideally, National Library Week places our libraries in the spotlight and further elevates awareness of the vital information services we offer.
2. In the current economic climate, it is more important than ever to use that opportunity to promote not only our libraries’ successes and possibilities but also their most pressing needs.
3. How can we make this year’s National Library Week a rallying point, both individually and collectively, for making the case year round for the support we demand and deserve?
4. What happens after the open houses have been held and the bookmarks distributed?

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One Possible Course of Action

1. Develop customized “fact sheets” for each of us to have available – anytime, anywhere – for educating our respective constituencies on what we do and securing the continued support we need.
2. Each fact sheet should contain:
1. A key message
2. Talking points
3. Statistics (e.g., ROI, percentage of unique materials in the library)
4. Success Stories
5. A call to action
3. National Library Week can provide the momentum for creating those fact sheets, and also help us better gauge the ongoing priorities and pulse of those individuals we need to reach.