ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


88 / C&RL News

National Library Week—making it happen

By Linda K. Wallace

D irector
A L A  Public Inform ation Office

ALA’s 1992 “Your R ight to Know: Librarians 
m ake it h a p p en ” cam paign presen ts an exciting 
opp o rtu n ity  for academ ic librarians to  speak o u t for 
th e ir profession an d  for th e  A m erican public.

A m erica’s libraries are u n iq u e in th e ir dedication 
to  serving th e  public’s R ight to Know inform ation 
th ey  n e ed  to live, learn, work, 
an d  govern effectively. And no 
one plays a  m ore im portant role 
in m aking th a t h a p p en  than 
academ ic librarians. When 

Plan now  to  use th e  ALA 
th e m e  fo r N atio n al L ib rary  need t
W eek (April 5-1 1 ,1 9 9 2 ) an d  as 
an u m brella to  pro m o te your 
services th ro u g h o u t th e  year.

w hen 
W hat y o u  can  do w a n t t

1. H o st a G reat Am erican 
R ead A loud/N ight o f a T h o u ­

you ha
sand Stars. ALA will again spon­
s o r t h e  n a t i o n ’s l a r g e s t 

Right t
proliteracy ev ent on W ednes­
day, April 8, 1992, w ith guest 
read ers rallying a ro u n d  librar­
ies a n d  th e ir R ight to  Know.
M any college libraries, includ­
ing M ichigan State University,
Bowling G reen  (Ohio) State 

A s k  yo
U niversity, a n d  W h ite P ine 
(N .H .) C o lle g e  h a v e  b e e n  

lib rari
am ong th e  thousands o f librar­
ies hosting successfulevents.

2. Participate in th e  “Call for American Li
Am erica’s Libraries” radio rally 
b eing lau nched on F ree d o m  o f 
Inform ation Day, M arch 16, and running through 
National Library W eek (see sidebar, page ??).

3. E xpand th e  library’s regular bibliographic 
instruction o r o rientation program  to include th e  
right to know.

4. Id en tify  m ajor issues o f co ncern on  your 
cam pus— drugs, free speech, th e  hom eless, rape, 
th e  environm ent. Plan a series o f R ight-to-Know 
forum s, booklists, an d  exhibits around th ese topics.

y
o
y
o
v
o

u
a

b

Invite faculty an d  adm inistrators from  d epartm ents 
such as h ealth  services an d  cam pus security to 
participate. Involve foreign stu dents in planning 
program s to focus on  cultural diversity.

5. O rganize an election year “Right to Know” 
cam paign to  provide v o ter registration an d  infor­

m ation for students.
6. D evelop fact sheets and 

booklists w ith th e  R ight to  

ou Know  logo. Spotlight federal an d  local government docu­
 k n o w , ments, reference works, video­tapes, and other specialized li­
ou 

brary resources available to  help 
faculty and students exercise 
their Right to Know.

 k n o w , 7. C o nduct w orkshops for college stu dents an d  faculty 
e the 

on inform ation literacy and 
th e  R ight to  Know.

 K n o w .
8. Post ALA posters with 

th e  cam paign th e m e  in caf­
e t e r i a s , c a m p u s  b u l l e t i n  
boards, an d  o th e r gathering 
points outside th e  library. Ask 
to  have th e  m essage po sted  
on  o u td o o r m arquees.

r 
9. Invite yo u r library users 

to share how  librarians have 

n
h e lp ed  th e m  exercise th e ir 
R ight to Know and how th at 
m ade a  difference in  th e ir 
lives. A ward prizes— gift c e r­
tificates fo r cam pus book, 

rary Association record, o r clothing stores—  
for th e  b est entries.

10. Publish regular updates 
announcing new  articles/m aterials o f special in te r­
e st im p rin ted  with the Right-to-Know logo. Send to 
faculty and administrators. Provide a column for the 
student newspaper.

11. Talk to  stu d en t groups ab out th e  special study 
a n d  c aree r resources your library offers to  help 
th e m  plan th e ir futures.

12. Provide “R ight to  Know” public service ads 
available from  th e  ALA Public Inform ation Office



February 1 992 / 89

to th e  stu d en t new spaper an d  faculty publications. 
Provide radio and television public service advertise­
m ents available through th e  ALA Graphics Catalog.

Ed. note: T he artw ork on  th e  cover o f this m o n th ’s 
C L R L  N ew s is available as a  p o ster from  ALA 
G raphics. T h e p o ster is available separately o r as

(N L W  cont. f r o m  page 87)

P lanning is th e  k ey to  su ccess

A successful N L W  celebration does n o t ju st 
happen. As w ith so m any o th e r library activities, 
careful advance p lanning is a necessity. A t th e  
Evans Library, p lanning for N LW  begins w ith th e  
a p p o in tm en t o f a  new  N L W  C hair in M ay an d  
com m ittee selection follows as soon as possible. 
Planning m eetings usually begin in late sum m er and 
continue, with increasing frequency, until th e  event.

Although th e  N L W  C om m ittee does n o t w ork 
from  a set o f guidelines, rep o rts o f form er co m m it­
tees p rovide a  body o f tradition to  guide planning, 
an d  o th e r advice an d  suggestions are passed on 
orally from  com m ittee to com m ittee. N L W  cel­
ebrations, however, should n o t be allowed to  b e ­
com e static. Each year should bring new ideas and new 
approaches; each year should be a  new experience.

Every library’s observance o f N LW  is u n iq u e, as 
it should be, b u t th e  experiences o f o th e r libraries 
can offer ideas.

C elebrating N L W  takes tim e an d  effort, an d  
req uires a  com m itm en t on th e  p art o f th e library as 
a whole. T h e rew ards, however, can m ore th an  
equal th e  effort. A successful N LW  observance 
should h eighten aw areness o f th e  libraiy for b oth 
stu dents an d  faculty, an d  can attract users from  th e 
non-university local com m unity. N L W  c eleb ra­
tions enhance th e  library’s im age an d  raise m orale o f

C&RL News staff member has a win

Reggie Prim , C &R L  N ew s editorial 
assistant, has a way w ith words. W hen 
ALA staff w ere asked by th e  C om ­
m u n ic a tio n s  D e p a r t m e n t  to 
think o f  slogans th a t conveyed 
ALA’s pu rp o se to  th e  general 
public, th e  A C R L staff w ent 
into action.

A t A C R L ’s w e e k ly  s ta f f 
brainstorm ing session, th e  staff 
g en erated  a n u m b e r o f possible 
slogans. O ne o f th e m  was Reggie’s 
suggestion, “T he m ore you read  th e 
b e tte r w e feel.”

T hese w ere forw arded to ALA’s C om ­

p a rt o f th e  N ational Library W eek  th e m e  kit th at 
includes 3 posters, 200 bookm arks, an d  a cam paign 
book including clip art. T h e kit sells for $25 a n d  may 
be o rd e re d  from  ALA G raphics, 50 E. H u ro n  St., 
Chicago, IL  60611; (800) 545-2433, press 8.

■ ■

th e  library staff. Activities which involve university 
faculty stren g th en  ties b e tw ee n  th e  library an d  th e 
faculty. An active an d  dynam ic library will appear 
m ore attractive to  potential donors o f b oth funds and 
collections, an d  N L W  activities can highlight th e  
library’s needs as w ell as its strengths. In  addition, 
N L W  activities can b e  s tru c tu re d  to  em phasize new  
library services.

Finally, once th e  direction has b e en  d ecided, th e 
planning com pleted, an d  th e  last-m inute details 
tak en  c are of, N L W  celebrations can, an d  should, 
be fun for th e  library staff an d  patrons alike. 

NOTES

1T he National Library W eek Program, Local Orga- 
nizntionHandbookforthe\NationalLibraryWeekProgram. 
(N ew  York: T h e  N ational Library W eek  Program , 
1967), 48.

2 Special & Academ ic Library N L W  Participa­
tion Sought,” L ib rary J ournal 102 (N ovem ber 1, 
1977): 2200.

3Linda K. W allace, “National L ibrary W eek: Are 
you kidding?” College & Research Libraries N ews 
50 (April 1989): 311-13.

4Ibid.
5Suzanne D . Gyeszly, “Book sale p rep aratio n  for 

National Library W eek,” College 6- Research L i­
braries N ew s 51 (April 1990): 331-33. ■  ■

ng idea

m unications D ep artm en t. W hile a final 
slogan has n o t b een  selected, Reggie’s 

pro p o sed  slogan was so good that
ALA’s G ra p h ic s D e p a r tm e n t 
could n o t pass u p  the o p p o rtu ­
nity to  p ro d u ce a button.

W h ite text on a g reen back­
ground, th e  b u tto n s are avail­
able in b undles o f  10 for $4.00 

plus $2.00 for shipping a n d  han ­
dling. O rd ers totalling less than

$30 m ust b e  prepaid. Sen d  o rd er 
to: ALA’s G raphics D ep artm en t,

50 E. H u ro n  St., Chicago, IL  60611; 
fax (312) 440-9374.

ni



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