Step Up to the Plate @ your library

Win cool prizes and promote literacy at your local library

For the fourth year in a row, baseball fans can take a crack at winning some cool prizes through their library. In fact, over 1,000 libraries have already signed up to host the program this season. It’s a novel idea to say the least: the Baseball Hall of Fame teaming up with the American Library Association to promote information literacy.

Every year, the program features a general theme around which the questions are based. This time, they’ve chosen to look at how multiculturalism and diversity have shaped the history of America’s favorite pastime. In other news, Jackie Robinson biographies are suddenly a hot item at your local library.

The grand prize again this year for the baseball trivia program is a trip to Cooperstown, NY for the Baseball Hall of Fame’s World Series gala event. However, more important is the message the campaign intends to promote:

• Librarians are trained experts, well-versed and up-to-date in the information age.
• As the ALA states, “Libraries are part of the American dream” in that they remain open and welcome to everyone eager to become more information literate.
• Libraries are maybe one of the only places where all information in the world—baseball-related or otherwise—is conveniently laid out for you.

Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith has long been a spokesman and ardent supporter of the program. Here is a short video he did for it last year: