Friday, January 14, 2011

Community Voice Mail and Travelers Aid of Pittsburgh

Wanted to pass along information about Community Voice Mail and Travelers Aid of Pittsburgh for your reference.

Travelers Aid of Pittsburgh

Travelers Aid of Pittsburgh is a non-profit, United Way agency providing social service programs to people in need of public transportation. The only organization of its kind in Western Pennsylvania, Travelers Aid provides public transportation options for individuals stranded in Pittsburgh or in need of local transit when they can't afford it.

The extensive network of programs designed by Travelers Aid is in response to the needs of travelers from all walks of life.  Through their work with Human Services Providers, Travelers Aid assists with travel for over 1.5 million trips per year.  This model is currently being employed in over 90 locations in Allegheny County with an enrollment of over 35,000 low-income individuals and families.

Community Voice Mail

Community Voice Mail (CVM) helps people living in poverty, transition and homelessness rebuild their lives by connecting  them to jobs, housing, information and hope. We do this by providing them with a stable voice mail number at no cost to use to receive vital messages that they would miss otherwise.

Winners of the 2011 John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Awards

For Immediate Release
Sun, 01/09/2011 - 14:18
Contact: Steve Zalusky

SAN DIEGO - Five libraries are winners of the John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Award, which recognizes and honors outstanding achievement in library public relations.

The John Cotton Dana (JCD) honor has been awarded continuously since 1946 and is sponsored by the H.W. Wilson Co., the H.W. Wilson Foundation and the Library Leadership and Management Association (LLAMA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). It is considered the most prestigious of all library awards in the field of public relations.


This  was a very difficult judging year,” said JCD committee Chair Kim Terry. “The quality was outstanding. We had entries from a variety of libraries - several academic libraries applied with fabulous campaigns. Many of the submissions came from small- to medium-sized libraries. It’s amazing that in these challenging economic times how wonderfully gifted libraries are at leveraging what they have to produce effective marketing campaigns. Libraries have come a long way.”

The following five libraries were honored:

Loudoun County Public Library, Leesburg, Va., for “Try Poetry” - a year of building community through the borderless conversation of poetry. The program developed a long partnership with the public school system, created a unique relationship with the juvenile detention center and offered a variety of captivating presentations to the community. Extensive media coverage in the Washington Post and other outlets, as well as highly respected authors, poets and actors helped to inform and excite all ages of the community.
Anythink Libraries of Adams County, Colo., built a “library of the future,” responding to a voter-approved funding increase. A new customer service philosophy and branding increased population awareness and use in all areas, including a 42-percent increase in cardholders and 66-percent increase in visitors. The district Anythink name and orange swirl has become a nationally recognized signature for the library.

The University of California Santa Cruz Library for its hugely successful campaign surrounding its acquisition of the Grateful Dead archives. In addition to coverage in many national newspapers and magazines from the Wall Street Journal to Rolling Stone, the library’s Facebook page for this archive has more than 48,000 friends - second only to the Grateful Dead’s own Web page - and they have received $1.5 million in donations.

The Edmonton Public Library, Edmonton, Alberta, for “Rebranding the Edmonton Public Library,” a masterful blending of the work of professional designers and library staff that let each do what they do best. The simple, stylish logo and the slogan “Spread the words” were taken by library staff and customers and used in a guerilla marketing strategy that was impossible to ignore and hard to resist. The success of this campaign was built on a strong foundation of shared values, clear assessment, strategic marketing and a committed and enthusiastic library staff. The result was a colorful, adaptable, effective campaign that also happens to be a lot of fun.

Worthington Libraries, Worthington, Ohio for the “Find Yourself Here” rebranding campaign, a unique, informative and fun way to position the library as an information source and inviting destination. Beginning with staff communications guidelines and expanding to service provision, the library was positioned as a place where everyone belongs and is accepted. The net result was a 35-percent increase in online homework usage and a 36-increase in the circulation of downloadable books.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Sampling of Guidelines for Services to Older Adults

The Commonwealth Libraries Older Adult Advisory Committee is developing recommendations for services to older adults in public libraries.  Here is a sampling of national and state guidelines which can be used as a great catalyst for improving what we do!

ALA Guidelines for Library and Information Services to Older Adults
Created by the Library Services to an Aging Population Committee, Reference Services Section, Reference and User Services Association of the American Library Association. (2008)

Canadian Guidelines on Library and Information Services for Older Adults
A position statement created by the Canadian Library Association. (2009)

Webjunction Competency Index for the Library Field 
Slides 30 to 33 (pages 20-23) focus on adult and older adult services.  The competencies for the Index were compiled from input from a spectrum of library practitioners and leaders, and from competencies defined by other library organizations. (2009)

Libraries & Seniors: Strengthening Services for Older Missourians
The report and recommendations of the Task Force on Library Services for Older Adults. (2009)

Wisconsin Public Library Standards
Adult standards are throughout this document created by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. (2010)

Public Libraries, Lifelong Learning, and Older Adults: Background and Recommendations
Written by Connie Van Fleet, M.L.I.S., Ph.D., of the School of Library and Information Science at Louisiana State University for the Public Libraries and Community-Based Education: Making the Connection for Lifelong Learning conference. (1995)