New Award to Honor Librarian for Promoting Baseball and literacy or library services

June 5, 2007

Contact: Megan McFarlane

mmcfarlane@ala.org

New award to honor librarian for promoting baseball and literacy or library
services

Winner to receive trip to 2008 Baseball Hall of Fame Game

Applications are available for "Batting for literacy @ your library," a new
award in conjunction with the Step Up to the Plate @ your library program.
The award will honor an individual librarian who has used baseball to
enhance literacy or library service.

The recipient will be awarded a trip to the 2008 Baseball Hall of Fame Game,
an annual exhibition game between two major league teams at the National
Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y. The trip will include
a behind-the-scenes tour of the library and museum.

Applications and guidelines are available at www.ala.org/baseball.
Librarians can nominate a colleague or themselves. Submissions should
include a one-page description of how the nominee has used baseball to
enhance literacy or library service and must be accompanied by examples of
baseball-related programming, publicity for programming or other supporting
materials. Applicants are encouraged to send examples of how the nominee
promoted the Step Up to the Plate @ your library program.

All applications must be received by September 1, 2007. Nominees must be
ALA members in order to be eligible.

Step Up to the Plate @ your library, developed by ALA and the Baseball Hall
of Fame, encourages kids between 9-18 years of age to go to their library,
check out a baseball book and write about how a character inspired them.
The program runs through September 1, 2007. More information and free tools
to help librarians promote the program locally are available at
www.ala.org/baseball.

The Baseball Hall of Fame is a Founding Partner in The Campaign for
America's Libraries.