The program below is one of many featured on ALA’s online clearinghouse for school/public library cooperation managed by the AASL/ALSC/YALSA Interdivisional Committee on School/Public Library Cooperation. Visit the clearinghouse to learn more or share your own exemplary partnership!
Title of Program: Great Library Card Adventure/Get Carded
Type of Program: Library Card Campaigns
Age level: Elementary & secondary
Description of Program:
The Great Library Card Adventure is a library card campaign for kindergarten classrooms in Multnomah County, presented by the Multnomah County Library School Corps. Although we usually run the campaign kindergarten classrooms, every few years we extend the campaign to all K-5 students. (All K-5 students are able to apply for cards during any Great Library Card Adventure campaign, but during most years, the contest is for the kindergarten classrooms only.) We want every student, faculty and staff member in the county to have a Multnomah County Library card. We send letters to school principals and library staff inviting them to join the campaign, and we send kits with posters, applications, and instructions to those who join. After returning the applications, teachers receive a drink coupon from Starbucks. Students (both those who already had cards and those who get them through the program) receive Great Library Card Adventure stickers. Kindergarten classrooms with 100% of the students signed up for library cards are entered in a drawing to win one of three collections of age-appropriate fiction and non-fiction books for their classroom. Classes with 100% of students signed up that do not win a book collection will receive a gift certificate to a local bookstore. URL: http://www.multcolib.org/schoolcorps/glca.html
Get Carded! is a library card campaign for middle and high schools students. We have done this campaign twice since 1997. We send letters to school principals and library staff inviting them to join the campaign, and we send kits with posters, applications, and instructions to those who join. School return tally sheets to us with the numbers of students who already had cards, and the applications of those who are applying. All students and teachers who participate in the program (whether they already had cards or applied them) received a card with discount offers from local businesses.
Contact Information:
Jackie Partch
School Corps Team Leader
Multnomah County Library
205 NE Russell, Portland, OR 97212
503.988.6004
jacquelp@multcolib.org