We might not visit them as much as we did in years past, what with the advent of Kindles and iPads, but we still hold a special place in our heart for libraries.
And we are loving these Library Posters by Nate Koehler.
Month: March 2014
Library Quotes
Julie Andrews, actress and Honorary Chair of National Library Week 2008:
“The world is full of magical places, and the library has always been one of them for me. A library can be that special place for our children.”
“A library takes the gift of reading one step further by offering personalized learning opportunities second to none, a powerful antidote to the isolation of the Web.”
Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay (D-Mo.):
“When I was a young boy, I loved spending hours in St. Franics Xavier’s school library at Saint Louis University. The feel of the books in my hands and the magical new worlds I discovered always drew me back to that fantastic place. Each time I visited, I could expect to find a new adventure and from time to time use my imagination to revisit my favorite place and enjoy Green Eggs and Ham in a house, with a mouse, on a train, on a plane, in a box, with a fox…”
Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.):
“Literacy is the most basic currency of the knowledge economy.”
“Reading makes all other learning possible. We have to get books into our children’s hands early and often.”
“At the moment that we persuade a child, any child, to cross that threshold, that magic threshold into a library, we change their lives forever, for the better. It’s an enormous force for good.”
“At the dawn of the 21st century, where knowledge is literally power, where it unlocks the gates of opportunity and success, we all have responsibilities as parents, as librarians, as educators, as politicians, and as citizens to instill in our children a love of reading so that we can give them a chance to fulfill their dreams.”
“Libraries have a special role to play in our knowledge economy. Your institutions have been and should be a place where parents and children come to read together and learn together. We should take our kids there more.”
“…as parents, we have to find the time and the energy to step in and help our children love reading. We can read to them, talk to them about what they’re reading, and make time for this by turning off the television set ourselves. Libraries are a critical tool to help parents do this.”
Grammy-winning Singer, Songwriter, Storyteller Bill Harley:
Every child needs a safe place to fall – a place where he or she can explore things without worrying about failure and judgment. A library is one of those places. In a library you can learn by following your own nose, which is very different from someone telling you what you should learn. Once a kid learns a library is hers, to use as she wants, the world opens up., I’ve seen it happen. It happened to me.
Author Lilian Jackson Braun:
“A library card is the start of a lifelong adventure.”
Broadcaster Ed Bradley:
“As a child, I loved to read books. The library was a window to the world, a pathway to worlds and people far from my neighborhood in Philadelphia.”
Actor John Goodman:
“When I was young, we couldn’t afford much. But, my library card was my key to the world.”
Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA.):
“If you want to know how many prison cells to build, look at the number of third graders who can’t read.”
Author Joan Aiken:
“Children read to learn — even when they are reading fantasy, nonsense,
light verse, comics or the copy on cereal packets, they are expanding their minds all the time, enlarging their vocabulary, making discoveries: it is all new to them.”
Educator and Writer Mary Ellen Chase:
“There is no substitute for books in the life of a child.”
Author Maurice Sendak:
“As a child, I felt that books were holy objects, to be caressed, rapturously sniffed, and devotedly provided for. I gave my life to them. I still do. I continue to do what I did as a child; dream of books, make books and collect books.”
Poet and Author Margaret Walker:
“When I was about eight, I decided that the most wonderful thing, next to a human being, was a book.”
Poet and Writer Jorge Luis Borges:
“I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library.”
Orator, Lecturer and Preacher Henry Ward Beecher:
“A library is not a luxury but one of the necessities of life.”
Author Alice Hoffman:
“Books may well be the only true magic.”
Advertising Inspiration
I personally really enjoy these two advertising campaigns. The tone of voice and personality comes through the copy. I’d like to create some similar copy-based adverts for my project to promote libraries.
Copy-based Advertising
Long-copy advertising classics
Put aside the clever headline, sharp tone and expertly crafted momentum that carries you to the end – and look at the actual information being conveyed. 32 miles to the gallon. Five pints of oil. No need for anti-freeze. 40,000 miles per set of tyres. Smaller parking spots. Lower insurance. Cheaper repairs.
The same goes for this Timberland long-copy classic:
It may have dated in terms of social attitudes, but look it up, read it from start to finish and see how hard the copy is working.
You learn all about the details of how the shoes are made. Not just the inspiration for the design and the philosophy behind it, but the nerdy details of how the design has been subtly improved over the years. And the details are interesting. Strip away the jokes and the rhetorical tricks and the tone of voice and you’re left with a pile of solid, irreducible facts.
Billboard Advertising
Lamar Advertising has captured the attention of bibliophiles worldwide, thanks to a digital advertising campaign for Milwaukee Public Library aimed at supporting literacy.
Several digital billboards for the campaign, which reference Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, were designed by Dave Olson from Lamar Advertising in Milwaukee. The ads immediately received an enthusiastic response, with fans creating a buzz about it on Facebook and Twitter. In fact, many contacted the library to find out how they can purchase promotional items (with the same design) to show their support of reading.
Library Advertising Posters
Advertising University of Lincoln’s Library’s services in the ‘facilities’ of the GCW.
#SaveLibraries Campaign
Libraries are some of the most active users of social media and it is no surprise that many have taken to using new media to spread their message and in serious cases promote their cause. Some of these campaigns are started by librarians others have purely grassroot orgins. Some are targeted only/mainly to their fellow librarians, while others are meant for everyone.
#savelibraries
Why they did it : Over 375 libraries in the UK threatened with closure due to budget cuts
What they did : Users on Twitter began tweeting “”Libraries are important because … [fill in your answer & RT] “, with hashtag #savelibraries. Done initially in support of UK Libraries but spread to the US.
A search shows that #savelibraries has in fact being a tag used on Twitter as far back as March 2010 but here we are talking about a specific use that occurred in Jan 2011. See later for more details
How it started : Started spontaneously by Shropshire ICT lecturer @MarDixon , supported by Voices for Library.
Result: According to Twend.it , #savelibraries has trended WorldWide, UK/London, and United States with the longest in UK (6 hours on 16 Jan 2011). (It also benefited possibly from the effects of the next case below) .
There were 12,000 tweets of this according to Topsy in just 1 week!
Campaigns That Made a Difference
issuu.com/emergingleaders2013/docs/campaigns_that_made_a_difference?e=3131765/7643071
Geek the Library
Geek the Library is a US-based community awareness campaign designed to highlight the vital role of public libraries and raise awareness about the critical funding issues they face.
The Geek the Library campaign hopes to inspire a conversation about our incredible public libraries and their urgent need for increased support.
The campaign introduces the word ‘geek’ as a verb and draws attention to the fact every individual is passionate about something and anyone can learn more about what they geek—what they are passionate about—at the public library.
The public library’s role in building strong communities is more important than ever—especially in a tough economy. But as library usage increases, and the pressure to expand services intensifies, many libraries simply don’t have the necessary funding to support the new demand. At the same time, most are experiencing flat or decreasing budgets.
The Geek the Library campaign encourages you to tell your friends what you geek and how the public library supports you and your community, and to spread the word that everyone in your community benefits from the services your local public library provides.
Check out the website for further details.
Promoting the Love of Words 