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National Library Workers Day STARS!

For National Library Workers Day, Tuesday, April 4, ALA-APA asked you to ask your patrons, colleagues, administrators, and others to submit names of staff who are doing exemplary work in libraries. In celebration of the theme "Libraries Work Because We Do," more than 200 library employees were praised for their skill, positive attitudes, customer service and for generally making the profession look good! Visit the Gallery of Stars, where you can read the 223 nominations—www.ala-apa.org/about/nlwdstars.html.

The third annual National Library Workers Day was a grand success. Stars represented academic, public, school, special and tribal libraries. There were several stars who received multiple nominations. Stars came from 33 states and Puerto Rico, Pakistan and Cuba. They will be honored at the American Library Association Annual Conference in New Orleans, LA, in June.

How Libraries Celebrated National Library Workers Day

Tuesday, April 4, was a fun day for library employees! Library staff were eager to share their celebrations with LW readers. You may find some inspiration below. Patrons, Friends groups and local media were involved in simple to elaborate celebrations to fit any budget and staff size. Many treats were distributed as thank yous, but there were also educational programs, behind-the-scenes exhibits, and heartfelt expressions of gratitude. A selection of these ideas will be posted on the NLWD Web site for the 2007 Celebrations.

Raleigh County Public Library, Beckley, WV (thanks, Danny!)

• We all enjoyed seeing our library stars, Jewell Ayers and JoLynn Prince-Lacek on the web site.
• The local news station Fox 59 (WVNS), Channel 11 did a news spot on Jewell and they took the information directly from the ALA-APA web site. She was thrilled.
• Channel 11 also came to Raleigh County Public Library and filmed all our behind the scenes people who make this place run.
• We created a photo poster and placed it in a prominent place near the circulation desk honoring all our library workers.
• We had fun teasing all of our behind the scenes people. Thank you for giving us this opportunity.

Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore, MD (thanks, Eleanor!)

Enoch Pratt celebrated National Library Workers Day in a grand way.

• Staff were given burgundy and cream t-shirts, which read "EPFL Celebrates National Library Workers Day, April 4, 2006."
• Each staff member received a thank you postcard which featured "thank you" in different languages on one side and a thank you message from Dr. Carla Hayden, the Board of Trustees and Directors of the Library.
• Staff received lanyards (assorted colors), which have "National Library Workers Day @ EPFL" imprinted on them.
• All public service departments and branches received a free standing rack with post cards in them. The cards said "National Library Workers Day, Tuesday, April 4, 2006. Please write a brief statement on “How the Pratt Library has Changed My Life” on this card and leave it with the Library staff. Thank you. The cards the library received had incredible testimonies from patrons of all ages.
• The " Let Everyone Know!" flyer was in the rack
• We put the names of all the staff in a bag. We had 17 gifts to give away. Seventeen names were selected. We placed a numbered disk on each gift bag and called the staff member whose name was selected. They in turn would have to select a number from 1–17, which corresponded with the gifts in the bag. The person would get the gift with that number along with a note of thanks from Dr. Hayden and the committee that put together the National Library Workers Day celebration. Some of the gifts were: a Mary Kay gift basket, Johnathan Ogden signed cap, ballpoint pen, picture frame, 5” black/white television, and other goodies.

Brooklyn Public Library, NY (thanks, Lisa!)

• All of our employees received buttons.
• Each branch received a NLWD banner to display.
• Each branch was allocated funds to purchase refreshments of their choice for the day.
• Our Central Library utilized our cafeteria to provide refreshments for all of the staff in the entire building.

Calhoun County Library, Edison, GA (thanks, Linda!)

• Held an Open House
• Decorated with green balloons tied to the Library sign
• An invitation posted on the outdoor sign welcomed patrons to come inside and share cookies and lemonade served from a draped table holding a fresh spring flower arrangement.
• The Library staff wore their NLWD pins.
• Patrons congratulated them on their courteous service, pleasant atmosphere and great reading materials.

Eskind Biomedical Library, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN (thanks, Rachel!)

• A committee created yellow stars reading “Library employee _____ is a star because...” and placed them at service points and copiers for patrons and staff to fill out. They ran out of stars mid-week and had to print more! Everyone on staff got at least one star, with many receiving multiple stars.
• Placed NLWD posters near decorated collection boxes
• Decorated the library with fresh cut flowers
• Stars were displayed in the Historical Collections room on 5 large foam boards.
• Party featuring star-shaped goodies

Harford County Public Library, Belcamp, MD (thanks, Audra!)

• We had big fat thank you cookies delivered to all of the branches and our Administrative office. The cookies were a big hit.
• The Director sent an email out early in the morning wishing everyone a happy National Library Workers day and thanked them for making HCPL the great system it is.

Alexandria Public Library,VA (thanks, Rose!)

Each department received a card that said “A few hugs and kisses from Library Administration” along with a gift basket of Hugs (little juice barrels) and Kisses (Hershey Kisses, Hershey Kisses Hugs, Hershey Kissables).

Cleveland State University, OH

The Library News Web site encouraged people to "Stop by the University Library and tell your favorite librarian or staff member how much you appreciate what they do."

Indian Trails Public Library District, Wheeling, IL (thanks, Sally!)

Each staff member received a handmade thank you reading "You’re a Treasure to the Library and the Community." The card had a clever silhouette of a treasure chest with a Sacagawea gold dollar coin affixed and signatures of all the managers.

Cotuit, MA (thanks, Diane!)

• The Friends of the Cotuit Library gave each member of the staff a plant for their desks and dropped off refreshments for their break that day.
• The Town of Barnstable passed resolution recognizing National Library Workers Day.

Arizona State University (thanks, Smita!)

• The Diversity Initiative Team sponsored National Library Week from April 2-8, 2006. Two of our goals were to recognize the work of libraries and library workers and to highlight careers in libraries.
• The Team encouraged those on campus to "Come by Fletcher Library and meet those people who make your library’s services possible" and to nominate your favorite worker to the National Library Workers Day Stars web site http://www.ala-apa.org/about/nlwdstars.html, sponsored by the American Library Association-Allied Professional Association.

Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA; thanks, Beth!)

The ALA Division sent the following welcomed message of encouragement to its membership:

April 4th is National Library Workers’ Day! Here’s a little something from YALSA, which we hope makes you feel appreciated:

Five Reasons Why YA Librarians are Better than Google:

1. Google locates only web sites, while YA librarians find all types of resources in any format.
4. Google requires you to design your own searches, but YA librarians help you plan an effective search strategy.
3. Google leaves it up to you to sort through the mountain of results, while YA librarians assist you in selecting information to meet your specific needs.
2. Google provides no quality control, but YA librarians always have a Plan B if your search yields no results.
1. Google is an inanimate web site with no ability to offer moral support, but YA librarians are real people who can dispense things like encouragement, high fives and even hugs.

Thanks for all the hard work you do to ensure that teens get the best library service!

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Union

AFSCME is a great supporter of the 10,000 library workers who it represents.

• AFSCME was a gold-level sponsor of the NLWD Web Site.
• AFSCME made available "AFSCME Library Workers" buttons and pins and bookmarks that read "Libraries work because AFSCME members do."
• Gerald W. McEntee, President of AFSCME, praised the nation's library workers in a press release and endorsed fair pay - http://www.afscme.org/press/pr060404.htm.

“Library workers care so much about literacy and learning, and their commitment shines through even in the toughest times,” President McEntee said. “Unfortunately, the federal budget has under funded state and local governments for many years, and library staff and resources are often among the first to be cut. Yet library workers have shown tremendous resiliency, deftly adapting to the demands of the digital age and keeping our libraries running smoothly on shoestring budgets. Funding our libraries is a critical investment in our future, and it is incumbent upon our leaders to provide library workers with the pay, support and respect that they have earned.”

• AFSCME posted Staffing America’s Libraries: Big Changes, Big Challenges, by Jon Melegrito, a report about the origins of the lack of pay equity for librarianship and how AFSCME has been able to help library staff raise pay even in situations with reduced budgets.

San Jose Public Library, CA (thanks, Joan!)

• Mayor Ron Gonzales and Ken Yeager (Library Liaison) gave a group of library workers a proclamation at the City Council meeting. Yolanda Cruz, who is an Information Technology person at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library and Municipal Employees Federation’s Vice President, made the proclamation happen.
• Yolanda secured Library Day AFSCME buttons and pins to distribute this week to workers and encouraged workers to wear their AFSCME green t-shirts
• The Library Administration and Library Stewards bought cakes for each of the branches and visit the branches for the cake-eating events.
• Several libraries created "staff favorites" displays and had library themed story times and/or talking about library work.
• A staff member created a collage of staff pictures at the Circulation Desk
• Some Council members provided treats for the libraries in their jurisdictions for staff and the public, and visited with Library staff during this time.

District of Columbia Public Library (thanks, Jewel and Wanda!)

The District of Columbia Public Library (DCPL) observed National Library Workers Day, April 4, 2006, by planning several activities to honor all of its staff members.

1. An attractive badge, with the message "Libraries Work Because We Do," was designed specially for all DCPL staff to wear during National Library Week to convey that each staff member performs valuable work in the library system.
2. Multiple copies of the American Library Association-Allied Professional Association flier, " Let Everyone Know," were sent to every department and unit of the Library, where they were made available to all library users as well as DCPL staff. The flier invites library users and library employees to submit the names of library employees whom they consider to be stars and why.
3. A special photography exhibit, "Behind the Scenes," featuring library employees who work in non-public service areas, is on display throughout the month of April at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library, the system’s main or central library. Non-public service areas are the focus of the exhibit because they do not receive the exposure that the public service areas naturally receive. The hope is that this exhibit will provide the public with a better understanding of the wide range of responsibilities and tasks involved in keeping the library going. A bibliography, "Working at the Library: Recommendations for Learning More," was prepared by DCPL staff to accompany the exhibit.
4. DCPL Labor-Management Partnership Council Co-Chairs, Francis J. Buckley, Jr., Interim Director of the District of Columbia Public Library, and Toni White-Richardson, Union President of AFSCME, Local 1808, sent a special message to all DCPL employees expressing thanks and appreciation for them as individuals and for all the work they do to make the system work.

Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA (thanks, Cynthia!)

The Libraries in Pullman, Washington, staged a Library Learning Day on National Library Workers Day. We solicited ideas for library-related topics our staff and faculty wanted to learn more about, then matched up topics with employees who could address them in 15 or 30 minute segments. Sessions were held in two side-by-side library instruction rooms so attendees could easily move from one to another. Topics included:

• Information Literacy program
• Appreciative Inquiry [an organization process we are doing]
• Electronic Resources Management Module (ERM)
• Marc Format Holding Data (MFHD) and ’library has’ statements
• Tutorials Assessment poster session
• LibQual surveys
• “Changes in Pedagogy” [Guest speaker from our Center for Teaching and
• Learning]
• OPAC Futures
• Open Access
• WSU Research Exchange: behind the scenes [our institutional repository
• Online information about Griffin [our OPAC]
• WSU Wiki
• Assessment
• GWLA, Orbis-Cascade, etc. and why we belong [our major consortia]
• Outlook Basics (email & calendar overview & how-to’s)
• Database searching for non-Reference employees
• Expectations of the Millennial Generation
• CONTENTdm
• Search It! / Metasearching

We would love to have your feedback on these articles!

Copyright 2004–2008 ALA-APA. Contact Jenifer Grady, 50 E. Huron, Chicago, IL 60611, 312-280-2424, jgrady@ala.org for more information.