Summer Update From the King County Library System (KCLS)

ISSAQUAH, Wash., July 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Kids across King County are reading for fun and rewards in the KCLS summer reading program: Make a Splash @ the Library: READ! After just five weeks of the program 43,488 kids have signed up. That's a 10% increase over the same time period last year, and on target to exceed the total number of participants in last year's program. Reading-based activities and prizes await preschool and elementary students, and teens have a special summer edition of the popular Read 3, Get 1 Free reading/book review program. Details at www.kcls.org.

Library Launches New Outreach Vans Friday, July 23, 10am to Noon at the Renton Library

To bring more books and library resources beyond library walls and into the community, the King County Library System is launching new outreach vans that will be shared by all 46 KCLS libraries and the communities they serve. See illustrations at http://www.kcls.org/events/index.cfm.

Library2Go! Vans are mini-bookmobiles that will visit childcare centers, low-income housing and senior centers in the KCLS service area.

The Digital Discovery Zone is a mobile computer lab where teens and adults can learn to create computer graphics, games and animations. The Digital Discovery Zone will visit schools, community centers, after-school programs and senior centers.

Don't miss the free public tour of the new vehicles Friday, July 23, from 10am to Noon at the Renton Library parking lot, 100 Mill Avenue South. Tour the new vehicles and enjoy light refreshments.

KCLS Job Search Outreach Receives National Acclaim

When the global, national, and local economies began to collapse in mid-2008, KCLS realized that many area residents would be facing unemployment and financial hardship. The libraries had vital information and tools for coping with the sudden changes, and designed a special outreach response to connect people with the information resources they needed. KCLS reference librarians compiled lists of all resources they could find--within and beyond the library's collections. Community-wide promotion, intensive on-site coaching and partner presentations by public and private social service agencies brought essential information to the people in ways that were immediate and easy to use. The Look to Your Library idea was simple: gather and promote essential information before anyone asked for it, make it easy to find, and show people how to use the tools. In addition to increasing use of the library's job-search resources, the project is still helping area residents with their job searches, small business challenges, and sudden reductions in their family budgets. See http://www.kcls.org/looktoyourlibrary for details.

The outreach campaign has received national acclaim, including:

• Finalist/Honorable Mention in the PR News NonProfit PR Awards for both Media Campaign and special Web Pages
• Special Mention in the Gale/Library Journal Library of the Year competition
• One of six top honors through the American Library Administration/Library Leadership and Management Association's prestigious John Cotton Dana Library PR Award sponsored by the H.W. Wilson Company
• Urban Libraries Council's (ULC) Top Innovations in the Raising the Image category
• Bronze ADDY Award for eight TV PSAs written by KCLS and produced by Cardinal Media

SOURCE King County Library System