TO:ALA Executive Board
RE:Public Information Office Media/Social Media Report
ACTION REQUESTED/INFORMATION/REPORT:
Information Item – No Action Required
ACTION REQUESTED BY:
Cathleen Bourdon, Associate Executive Director, Communications and Member Relations
CONTACT PERSONS:
Macey Morales, Media Relations Manager, 312-280-4393,
Heather Cho, Media Relations Specialist, 312-280-4020,
DRAFT OF MOTION:NA
DATE: Feb. 2, 2015
Subject: Midwinter Meeting Media Activity Report (Jan. 1 – Feb. 2, 2015)
BACKGROUND:
At Chicago’s McCormick Place, nearly than 10,000 library leaders and supporters from across the nation gathered for the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits, Jan. 30 – Feb. 3, 2015, to discuss ways that libraries can continue to serve and transform communities.The event featured more than 2,400 meetings andmore than 450 exhibitors showcased the latest innovative products, services and technologies for libraries and their patrons.
MEDIA COVERAGE SNAPSHOT:
According to Google search and Meltwater News, the American Library Association achieved more than 6,500media mentions and articles. The ALA’s Public Information Office (PIO) reached out to more than 240 local media contacts within the Chicago market, as well as more than 1,700 mainstream and library trade press members. Additionally, more than 70 press members registered for advance media credentials. Pitching efforts resulted in stories with local and national print, online, television and radio outlets.
Leading up to the Midwinter Meeting, the PIO worked closely with the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) to build awareness about the importance of school libraries and librarians in connection with the ALA Midwinter Meeting. Currently, in Chicago, more than 50 percent of schools are without a school librarian and a library program. The PIO was able to draft and secure placement of an op-ed piece in the Chicago Sun-Times, titled “Chicago needs more school librarians,” authored by AASL President Terri Grief. The PIO was also able to secure a live 30-minute interview segment on NPR affiliate WBEZ 95.1 that aired on its popular The Afternoon Shift program. During the interview, Grief and Chicago Public Schools Librarian Megan Cusick discussed the importance of school libraries and the valuable role school librarians play in supporting students and teachers.
The Midwinter Meeting’s Youth Media Awardsreceived national press coverage. The PIO secured coveragewith NPR, CNN.com, The New York Times, TIME for Kids andThe Washington Post. The AP article reachedthousands of news websites, blogs and publications across the country.
The ALA Youth Media Awards announcements took months of preparation and coordination with onsite audio/video vendors and Web vendor Unikron, as well as participating ALA units. The PIO provided a live Webcast of the ALA Youth Awards. Before the Webcast, nearly 1,900 people loggedon beforehand in anticipation of the award announcements. In total, more than 27,000 people viewed the announcements live.
The ALA Youth Media Awards produced a significant amount of social media activity. This year more than 84,000 Facebook subscribers and more than 20,000Twitter followerstracked the ALA Youth Media Award results live. On Twitter, the hashtag for the awards, #ALAyma, was mentioned more than 5,100 times over a 3-hour time period.The awards trended on Twitter nationally and some of the award-winning books trended internationally. In addition, classrooms from across the country visited the ALA Youth Media Awards YouTube channel to compare their mock election results to the 2015 webcast. (Please note that the Youth Media Awards social media channels transitioned this year to ilovelibraries.org accounts so total numbers may differ from past years.)
ARTICLE SNAPSHOT:
*According to the Newspaper Association of America, there are more than 1,380 daily newspapers, so the following placements should be viewed as a snapshot of coverage from between Jan. 1 – Feb. 2, 2015.
To review a snapshot of individual articlesvia Meltwater News, please go to:
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