OCLC Receives Nearly $2 Million in Gates Foundation Funding for “Geek the Library” Campaign

via OCLC:

Geek the Library, OCLC’s community awareness campaign designed to highlight the value of public libraries, has received $1,924,883 from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to extend participation in the program to 1,000 additional libraries through June 2015. The funding allows increased emphasis on library staff planning and implementation of the program, and will help staff build on the knowledge and skills they need to be effective advocates for libraries in their communities.
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A recent survey of public libraries implementing the Geek the Library campaign in local communities indicated a positive connection between the campaign and improved public perceptions of the library. The study also showed improvements in library staff advocacy- and marketing-related competencies. This final phase of the program will build on these findings by introducing enhanced support for participating libraries, and a focus on building library staff confidence and skills with advocacy, marketing and communications.
“Additional funding provides OCLC the opportunity to enhance the program by translating important lessons we’ve learned in the campaign’s first years into even more support for libraries, and a greater focus in areas we know can help libraries raise awareness during the campaign and beyond,” said Chrystie Hill, Director of Community Relations for OCLC.
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Geek the Library has a national campaign presence with its website, geekthelibrary.org, and social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Flickr. Geek the Library was developed based on results of OCLC’s research published in From Awareness to Funding: A study of library support in America. The research and pilot campaign were also funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The program will accept new participants through June 2014. Interested libraries can get more information about implementing the campaign locally at get.geekthelibrary.org.

Read the Complete Announcement
See Also: WebJunction Receives $4.1 Million Grant From Gates Foundation To Support Five More Years of Operations (September 6, 2012)

Filed under: Funding, Libraries, News, Public Libraries