
RIVERSIDE COUNTY LIBRARY PROJECT
WINS NATIONAL PUBLIC RELATIONS AWARD
The Riverside County Library System is one of seven libraries
across the United States to receive a 2005 John Cotton Dana
Public Relations Award from the Library Administration and
Management Association (LAMA), a division of the American
Library Association (ALA). This award, which goes to the
Library for its Leer Es Triunfar (Reading Is Succeeding)
project promoting library use among Latino residents of
Riverside County, was announced at the ALA’s Midwinter
meeting in Boston on Saturday, January 15.
The ALA press release announcing the
award describes Leer Es Triunfar as “an innovative
project. . .designed to increase the awareness and use of
library services among Latino residents in Riverside County
through a series of public programs, community events, celebrity
television spots and targeted Spanish-language publications.”
It is the first time that the Riverside County Library System
has received this award.
Leer Es Triunfar was launched in October
2003 with a Library Services and Technology Act grant from
the California State Library. The State Library provided
a second year of grant funding for the project for 2004-05
in addition to support from county sources. Beginning in
January 2004, Leer Es Triunfar produced a series a television
and radio spots, including celebrity endorsements by author
Victor Villaseñor, soccer star Mauricio Cienfuegos,
filmmaker John Carlos Frey, and others. The project also
produced a hip-hop song for radio play as well as a high
profile series of library programs including author talks,
programs for children, computer classes, art contests, photography
exhibits, and a job fair.
“We are extremely proud of this
award,” said County Librarian Nancy Johnson. “And
we are proud of the Leer Es Triunfar project which has generated
a great deal of excitement and use of library services by
Latino residents of Riverside County. The project has also
provided a way for us to receive feedback from the Latino
community as to what library services are most needed,”
said Johnson.
Six other libraries won the Dana Award
this year: Seattle Public Library, San Diego State University
Library, Louisiana Center for the Book at the State Library
of Louisiana, Maricopa County Library District (Phoenix),
Calgary Public Library (Calgary, Alberta, Canada), and North
Suburban Library System (Wheeling, IL). Dozens of libraries
across the country submitted applications for the award.
The award will be formally presented
at the American Library Association Annual Conference to
be held in Chicago in June 2005.