Entries for the 63^rd John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Award are being accepted now through Dec. 4 by the Library Leadership and Management Association (LLAMA).

 Inaugurated in 1946, the John Cotton Dana Award honors outstanding library public relations programs that support a specific project, goal or activity, or a sustained, ongoing program (e.g. the promotion of a summer reading program, a year-long centennial celebration, fundraising for a new college library, an awareness campaign or an innovative partnership in the community). Winning entries receive $5,000 for their organizations, courtesy of the award’s sponsor, the H.W. Wilson Company. 

“We encourage all libraries regardless of their size or budget to consider applying for the John Cotton Dana Award.  Wonderful things are happening across this Country and internationally that should be shared with everyone,” said Linda Holtslander, chair of LLAMA’s John Cotton Dana Committee.  “Campaigns that win this prestigious award are those that implement a thoroughly creative plan that communicates the many valuable services and programs provided by libraries to meet the increasing needs of their customers.”

The contest is open to all libraries and agencies that promote library service.  Entries can be for calendar year 2009 (January-December), school year 2008-2010 (Fall-Spring) or any special project that ends in 2009.

For an entry form, checklist, guidelines and tips, visit the H.W. Wilson web site at http://www.hwwilson.com/jcdawards/nw_jcd.htm

For examples of the 2009 winning entries, visit http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/llama/committees/publicrelations/index.cfm

John Cotton Dana (1856 -1929) was a highly influential American librarian and museum director whose main objective was to make the library relevant to the daily lives of the citizens and to promote the benefits of reading. He was a public librarian for forty years and an early president of the ALA.

 An icon in the library community for more than 100 years, H.W. Wilson (www.hwwilson.com) is dedicated to providing the highest-quality web and print resources in the world.  H.W. Wilson products are familiar to generations of library users as standard tools in college, public, school, and professional libraries worldwide.