Tacoma Public Library (TPL) was among eight library systems recognized with the American Library Association (ALA)'s most prestigious public relations honor, the John Cotton Dana Award, at the 2022 ALA Conference in Washington, D.C. this July.
TPL Assistant Director Amita Lonial was in attendance to accept the award on behalf of the TPL Public Information Office comprised of Faith Stevens, Graphic Arts and Public Information Specialist, and Mariesa Bus, Public Information Officer.
The John Cotton Dana Awards, opens a new window provide up to eight grants for libraries that demonstrate outstanding library public relations. The award is managed by the American Library Association’s (ALA) Core Division and EBSCO Information Services, opens a new window and consists of $10,000 grants from the H.W. Wilson Foundation, opens a new window.
Winners were selected for excellence demonstrated in strategic communications.
The ALA website states, "The Tacoma Public Library, opens a new window in Tacoma, Washington, led a compelling fundraising campaign to fund and expand access to its Digital Media Labs — studios at the library utilized by filmmakers, musicians, audio engineers, students, podcasters and other creatives in their thriving arts community. The pandemic limited access to the labs and updated software and hardware were needed to continue serving patron’s interests, creativity, and workforce development.
The comprehensive campaign included patron emails, social media, videos and a “text to donate” feature. The campaign exceeded fundraising goal by $8,000 and a total of $22,000 was used to purchase Podcast Kits. The campaign raised funding for new services and brought broader awareness to the library’s existing resources and introduced new patrons to the Digital Media Labs."
"Our community showed up for TPL and helped us to exceed our fundraising goal, making this campaign a success," stated Stevens.
"This campaign demonstrates the strong creative partnership that drives our work," stated Bus. "We are thrilled to accept this award and to continue to share the stories of Tacoma Public Library with our supportive community."
