Calendar


 * Library Related Calendar Dates: **

[] _ =Celebration Weeks & Promotional Events 2011-2012= [] Learn more about Library Card Sign-up Month, Banned Books Week, Teen Read Week, National Library Week, National Library Workers Day, El día de los niños and more. =Celebration Weeks & Promotional Events 2011-2012=

Events are in chronological order.
ALA's offices and divisions sponsor a variety of library promotions throughout the year that libraries of all types all across the country can get involved with to promote libraries and create awareness of library issues. Check out the links below to see how you can bring these promotions to your library. Both current and future event dates appear on the **Public Google Calendar**, [|Calendar of American Library Association Promotions and Events]. Please direct any and all comments and questions on this calendar to alalibrary@gmail.com. Until Library Card Sign-up Month in September, find out about the programs and activities being held at [|your own local public library], such as any [|Library Summer Reading Programs]. Also, there may be resources available to you as a resident of any nearby community college library; call and find out!

[|Library Card Sign-up Month] - September 2011: [] September is Library Card Sign-Up Month - a time when the American Library Association and libraries across the country remind parents that the most important school supply of all is @ your library®--it's your library card. September was first so designated in 1988, as a continuation of a national campaign launched the previous year. See brief list of [|Library Card Sign-up Month Honorary Chairpersons]; see July 12, 2011 press release, [|Hall of Famer Cal Ripken named Honorary Chair of Library Card Sign-up Month]. Contact Library Card Sign-up Month Campaign Coordinator Megan McFarlane of the ALA Public Information Office with questions.

[|Banned Books Week] - September 24-October 1, 2011: [] Banned Books Week, an annual celebration of the freedom to read since 1982, is observed the last week of September. Each year, librarians, booksellers, teachers and countless others take this opportunity to highlight the importance of intellectual freedom and remind us not to take this precious democratic freedom for granted. Contact the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) with questions.

Banned Websites Awareness Day - September 28, 2011 See the [|August 9, 2011 press release, AASL designates Wednesday, September 28, 2011, as Banned Websites Awareness Day] and the [|August 15, 2011 AASL Blog entry, AASL celebrates Banned Websites Awareness Day, by Michelle Luhtala]. In an extension of the observance of Banned Books Week, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) will highlight censorship awareness by designating Wednesday, September 28, 2011, as Banned Websites Awareness Day. By doing so, it is AASL's hope to bring attention to the overly aggressive filtering of educational and social websites used by students and educators. Contact the ALA American Association of School Librarians (AASL, a division of ALA) with questions.

[|National Friends of Libraries Week] - October 16-22, 2011 Friends of Libraries groups now have their very own national week of celebration! The Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations ([|ALTAFF]) will coordinate the sixth annual National Friends of Libraries Week October 16-22, 2011. The celebration offers a two-fold opportunity to celebrate Friends. Use the time to creatively promote your group in the community, to raise awareness, and to promote membership. This is also an excellent opportunity for your library and Board of Trustees to recognize the Friends for their help and support of the library. Contact the the Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations with questions.

[|Teen Read Week] - October 16-22, 2011: [] A national literacy initiative of the Young Adult Library Services Association that is aimed at teens, their parents, librarians, educators, booksellers and other concerned adults. Teen Read Week was started in 1998. The continuing message of the Teen Read Week initiative is to encourage 12-18 year olds to "Read For The Fun Of It". Each year an annual theme allows YALSA to focus on timely topics and teen interests. Teen Read Week is celebrated the third full week in October every year. Contact the ALA Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA, a division of ALA) with questions. In 2010, Teen Read Week was celebrated under the theme: Books with Beat @ your library®

[|National Gaming Day] - November 12, 2011: [|http://ngd.ala.org] ALA's National Gaming Day, first celebrated in 2008, focuses on the social and recreational side of gaming. Gaming at the library encourages patrons of all ages to interact with diverse peers, share their expertise and develop new strategies for gaming and learning. At the library, kids can socialize with their friends and play board and video games while surrounded by books, librarians and a real world of knowledge. Use the [|National Gaming Day Contact Form] with any questions.

[|ALA Youth Media Awards] - January 23, 2012 at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Dallas, TX: [] Each year the American Library Association (ALA) honors books and media for children and teens. Recognized worldwide for the high quality they represent, the [|ALA Youth Media Awards (YMA)], which include the prestigious Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, and Coretta Scott King Book Awards, do guide parents, educators, librarians and others in selecting the best materials for youth. Selected by committees composed of librarians and other literature and media experts, the awards encourage original and creative work in the field of children's and young adult literature and media. The award announcements are made as part of the ALA Midwinter Meeting. Award presentations will be made at the ALA Annual Conference. Contact the ALA Public Information Office with questions about the YMA announcement.

[|Teen Tech Week] - March 4-10, 2012: [] Teen Tech Week is a national initiative sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association and is aimed at teens, their parents, educators and other concerned adults. The purpose of the initiative is to ensure that teens are competent and ethical users of technologies, especially those that are offered through libraries such as DVDs, databases, audiobooks, and videogames. Teen Tech Week encourages teens to use libraries' nonprint resources for education and recreation, and to recognize that librarians are qualified, trusted professionals in the field of information technology. Teen Tech Week began in 2007 and has a general theme of Get Connected @ your library. The event is held annually during the second week of March. Contact the ALA Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA, a division of ALA) with questions.

Freedom of Information Day - March 16, 2012 Freedom of Information (FOI) Day is an annual event on or near March 16, the birthday of James Madison, who is widely regarded as the Father of the Constitution and as the foremost advocate for openness in government. Each year, the James Madison Award and the Eileen Cooke State & Local Madison Award are presented by the American Library Association Washington (DC) Office on Freedom of Information Day to recognize those individuals or groups that have championed, protected, and promoted **public access to government information** and the **public's right to know**. Contact Jacob Roberts, Communications Specialist of the ALA Washington Office, with questions.

[|Library Snapshot Day] - April 2012: [] Library Snapshot Day provides a way for libraries of all types across a state, region, system or community to show what happens in a single day in their libraries. This initiative provides an easy means to collect statistics, photos and stories that will enable library advocates to prove the value of their libraries to decision-makers and increase public awareness. ALA is again designating April as Library Snapshot Day in hopes of collecting statistics from across the United States to create a national snapshot. Contact Jaclyn Finneke, ALA Office for Library Advocacy with questions.

[|School Library Month] - April 2012: [] School Library Month (SLM) is the American Association of School Librarians' (AASL) celebration of school librarians and their programs. [|First celebrated in 1985] (as School Library Media Month; the name was changed to School Library Month in 2010), every April school librarians are encouraged to create activities to help their school and local community celebrate the essential role that strong school library programs play in a student's educational career. Shares the theme of National Library Week. Contact the ALA American Association of School Librarians (AASL, a division of ALA) with questions.

[|National Library Week] - April 8-14, 2012: [] First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April. It is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation's libraries and librarians and to promote library use and support. All types of libraries -- school, public, academic and special -- participate. The theme is: **You belong @ your library®**. Contact National Library Week Campaign Coordinator Megan McFarlane of the ALA Public Information Office with questions. Future National Libary Week dates (2012-2014) are on the [|National Library Week/School Library Month Fact Sheet].

[|National Library Workers Day] - April 10, 2012 (Tuesday of National Library Week): [] The American Library Association-Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA), the organization for the advancement of library employees, annually sponsors National Library Workers Day, which falls on the Tuesday of National Library Week. First celebrated in 2004, the purpose is to recognize all library workers, including librarians, support staff and others who make library service possible every day. Contact Jenifer Grady of ALA-APA with questions.

[|National Bookmobile Day] - April 11, 2012 (Wednesday of National Library Week): [] First celebrated in 2010 by the American Library Association Office for Literacy and Outreach Services (OLOS), the Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Service (ABOS), and the Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL). National Bookmobile Day is an annual celebration of the contributions of our nation's bookmobiles and the dedicated professionals who make quality bookmobile outreach possible in their communities. Contact John Amundsen, ALA OLOS Communications Specialist with questions.

[|National D.E.A.R Day - National Drop Everything and Read Day] - April 12, 2012 D.E.A.R. stands for Drop Everything and Read. National D.E.A.R. Day is a special reading celebration to remind and encourage families to make reading together on a daily basis a family priority. The official event date, April 12th, is the birthday of author Beverly Cleary. D.E.A.R. is sponsored by the National Education Association (NEA); Parent Teacher Association (PTA); the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC, a division of the American Library Association}; Reading Rockets; The General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC); the Newspaper Association of America Foundation (NAA); First Book; HarperCollins Children’s Books; Read Kiddo Read; Walden Media and Ramona Quimby.

[|Support Teen Literature Day] - April 12, 2012 (Thursday of National Library Week): Sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) and first celebrated in 2007, a division of ALA, to raise awareness among the general public that young adult literature is a vibrant, growing genre with much to offer today's teens. Contact the ALA Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA, a division of ALA) with questions.

[|Money Smart Week®] - April 21-28, 2012: [] The American Library Association (ALA) joined in a partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago to make Money Smart Week® @ your library a national initiative, which was first held April 2-9, 2011. [|Celebrating its 11th year in 2012 (and its second as a national ALA initiative)], the Money Smart Week® mission is to promote personal financial literacy. Libraries of all types in the Midwest have participated in Money Smart Week®, partnering with community groups, financial institutions, government agencies, educational organizations and other financial experts to help consumers learn to better manage their personal finances. [|ALA and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago] have launched a special section of the [|Money Smart Week® website] devoted to libraries, with information on how to participate, as well as toolkits, resources and examples of programming for public, academic, school and special libraries. Contact [|ALA's Chapter Relations Office (CRO)] with any questions. CRO held a Money Smart Week @ Your Library Webinar on February 2, 2011; the [|Microsoft PowerPoint Slides] are available. Should you have trouble viewing [|the 1.6 MB, 57-page Money Smart Week @ Your Library PowerPoint presentation] in your own copy of PowerPoint/PowerPoint Viewer, you may be able to view the presentation online by using the free [|Google Docs Viewer]; enter the document URL: [] and click the "Generate link" button, where you'll get several options. Or [|click here to view the Money Smart Week @ Your Library Webinar PowerPoint Slides in the Google Docs Viewer].

[|Preservation Week] - April 22-29 2012: [] Preservation Week, first observed by the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS) in 2010, offers an opportunity to celebrate collecting and preservation in your community, and to highlight your institution as a source of preservation information. Contact the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS, a division of ALA) with questions.

[|National Library Legislative Day] - April 23-24, 2012: [] The American Library Association, Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA), the District of Columbia Library Association (DCLA) and the Special Libraries Association (SLA) sponsor National Library Legislative Day. The event was last observed May 9-10, 2011. Contact Kristin Murphy, Government Relations Specialist of the ALA Washington Office, with questions.

[|Children's Day/Book Day - El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Día)] - April 30, 2012: [] Children's Day/Book Day, also known as El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Día), is a celebration of children, families, and reading and held annually on April 30. The celebration emphasizes the importance of advocating literacy for every child regardless of linguistic and cultural background. Through several grants from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) continues to increase public awareness of the event in libraries throughout the country. ALSC is collaborating on this effort with the Founding Partner of Día, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking (REFORMA). Día is an enhancement of Children’s Day, which began in 1925. Children’s Day was designated as a day to bring attention to the importance and well-being of children. In 1996, nationally acclaimed children’s book author [|Pat Mora] proposed linking the celebration of childhood and children with literacy to found El día de los niños/El día de los libros. Contact the ALA Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC, a division of ALA) with questions. The official Twitter hashtag was announced in the February 8, 2011 ALSC Blog entry, [|Día's New Hashtag, #Dia11alsc]. El 30 de abril es una fecha muy significativa para los niños. Se celebra el día de los niños y de los libros. Esta celebración se conoce como El día de los niños/ El día de los libros, y celebra la alegría y las maravillas de la infancia y la importancia de los libros en nuestra vida. Póngase en contacto REFORMA con preguntas.

[|Choose Privacy Week] - 2012 dates to be announced: [|http://www.privacyrevolution.org] Choose Privacy Week, first observed by the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) in 2010, is an initiative that invites library users into a national conversation about privacy rights in a digital age. The campaign gives libraries the tools they need to educate and engage users, and gives citizens the resources to think critically and make more informed choices about their privacy. Contact the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) with questions.

Last updated: August 2011

Additional date resources at [|Promotional Opportunities] on the ALA Professional Tips Wiki. Please send any needed corrections to Valerie Hawkins of ALA's Library.