PR Hint of the Week - Nov 18, 2002: Are You on the Trail?

Sometime in the next four years you may get a bit tired of me asking, "Are You on the Trail?", but get used to it! One of the most interesting and promising educational, inspirational, and public relations-related opportunities to come the way of our Montana libraries is the Lewis & Clark Bicentennial. I hope you're excited about it, I hope you are gathering information about it, and I hope you are either directly participating or at least keeping tabs on your local and regional planning committees. What an opportunity for libraries to be the true "center of the community" that we envision!

Beginning in June of 2003, we going to be providing the MLA "Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Passports" to any libraries which want to participate. (Actually, we're going to give the legislators a "sneak preview" with a passport of their own at Legislative Day.) We will get passports to as many librarians as possible at the April convention so that you're ready to hand them out in June.

These little passports have a welcome from MLA, encourage folks to visit libraries while they're enjoying the Lewis & Clark experience in Montana, and provide a place for library stamps and stickers or notes. For the stamp part, you can use your regular library stamp (name and address), and you have a 1 = X 3 inch area to stamp in.

Now if that's all you want to do, that's fine - folks can use the rest of the area of "notes and stickers" to write notes about their experience in your area.

If you want to do more, you can create a sticker which tells some local history or Lewis & Clark-related history from your area. You have a 3 X 3 inch area for that, and 3 X 3 stickers are available in sheets from several of the library materials suppliers. You can create the copy for stickers on several of the publishing programs such as print shop or MS Publisher. Maybe your area already has stickers available which deal with promotion of your area or its history. Get creative!

Please note that these passports are not just "handouts" for the local kids. We will have special things for them which can be used during Summer Reading Programs or for special programs during the year.

The passports are more meant for families, either local or out of state, who are traveling and enjoying the Montana Lewis & Clark experience. While folks are in your library, what should they see?

Definitely either a special display of Lewis & Clark materials or some signs which point the way to Lewis & Clark materials and other western history materials. Consider signs or bulletin board pin-ups which give lists of Lewis & Clark sites (for the next L&C-related PR hint, I'll have another great list of those websites as well as a new list of L&C related books, videos, etc.). Our committee will also be coming up with special posters which are laminated and give you a place to write in Lewis & Clark related events, materials, meetings, etc.

Encourage creative work in your community - get those artists or art classes, poets or English classes, etc. going on something that can be displayed in your library to promote the Lewis & Clark and local history themes. Consider some storytelling sessions. I can't stress enough that this whole experience should be educational and fun, a chance for libraries to offer more and also enhance our community roles.

Cheryl J. Heser, Director
Rosebud County Library