The John Cotton Dana Award Accepting Online Entries for
Outstanding Library Public Relations
~Eight $10,000 Grants Awarded as Part of the
Most Prestigious Award of the American Library Association ~

IPSWICH, Mass. — November 25, 2013 — The American Library Association (ALA) is now accepting submissions for the John Cotton Dana Award (JCD). The award, which is managed by the Library Leadership and Management Association (LLAMA) division of ALA, honors outstanding library public relations. Eight $10,000 awards are granted each year by the H.W. Wilson Foundation and the annual Awards Ceremony is sponsored by the ALA and EBSCO Information Services.

A new site has been created for the 2014 JCD entries which allows all entries to be submitted electronically. Entry documents are available at: https://johncottondana.nonprofitcms.org/awards.
ALA LLAMA Division Executive Director Kerry Ward says the news site should streamline the submission process and make it easier for eligible organizations to submit and entry. “This new site provides librarians with an easier process for pulling together their submissions and the judges will also benefit from the online process.” Entries must be received by February 14, 2014.

The award is named after John Cotton Dana, the father of the modern library, credited with helping transition libraries from reading rooms to community centers. JCD submissions include strategic library communication campaigns from all sizes and types of libraries. Submissions include rebranding efforts, promoting unique archives, awareness campaigns and community partnerships. Entries may be submitted by any library, Friends group, consulting agency or service provider, excluding libraries represented by the JCD Committee members.

JCD entries are organized around the following areas: needs assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation. Libraries submit samples of their processes, research, media releases, media coverage or other results received plus evaluation of the results and other documentation and supporting materials that show the scope and effectiveness of the library’s strategic communication effort.

In recognition of their achievement, JCD award winners receive a cash development award from the H.W. Wilson Foundation. The John Cotton Dana Awards are presented during an Awards Ceremony hosted by EBSCO Information Services held during the American Library Association annual conference.

About the John Cotton Dana Award
The John Cotton Dana Award was inaugurated at the 1946 annual conference of the American Library Association. It was named after John Cotton Dana (1856-1929), a librarian called the father of the modern library.

About The H.W. Wilson Foundation
The H.W. Wilson Foundation was established in 1952 by Halsey W. Wilson, founder of The H.W. Wilson Company. Over the years the foundation has provided grants to libraries and library related causes. Since 1957 the foundation has supported scholarship grants to all library schools accredited by the American Library Association in the United States and Canada. Visit the foundation at thwwf.org.

About EBSCO Information Services
EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) is the leading provider of resources for libraries including EBSCONET®, EBSCO’s total e-resource management system, and EBSCOhost®, the world's premier for-fee online research service, including full-text databases, subject indexes, point-of-care medical reference, historical digital archives and e-books. EBSCO provides more than 375 research databases and nearly 500,000 e-books plus subscription management services for more than 360,000 unique titles including more than 57,000 online titles. Through a library of tens of thousands of full-text journals and magazines from renowned publishers, EBSCO serves the content needs of all researchers (Academic, Medical, K-12, Public Library, Corporate, Government, etc.). EBSCO is also the provider of EBSCO Discovery Service™ (EDS), which provides each institution with a fast, single search box for its entire collection, offering deeper indexing and more full-text searching of journals and magazines than any other discovery service. For more information, visit the EBSCO Web site at: www.ebsco.com. EBSCO is a division of EBSCO Industries Inc., one of the largest privately held companies in the United States.

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