ALA Kicks Off Step Up to the Plate @ your library
RSSBy Slj Staff -- School Library Journal, 04/04/2008
Librarians across the country will be asking students to step up to the plate with a new program that encourages sports fans of all ages to test their knowledge of baseball trivia while improving their literacy skills.
The American Library Association (ALA) and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum have launched their third season of the Step Up to the Plate @ your library—and Ozzie Smith, a Hall of Fame shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Padres, will help kick off the program as its spokesperson.
Step Up to the Plate teams up two American classics—baseball and libraries—to promote the importance of information literacy skills and increase awareness of the library as an essential information resource.
This year, the program presents a whole new ball game, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the song "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." People of all ages are encouraged to use the print and electronic resources available at their library to answer a series of trivia questions designed for their age group (10 and under, 11-13, 14-17 and 18 and over). Categories of questions include ballparks, baseball in popular culture, fan experience, and baseball pioneers. Questions are available in both English and Spanish.
A grand-prize winner will win a trip for two in October to the Hall of Fame's World Series Gala event in Cooperstown, N.Y., including a behind-the-scenes tour of the museum. The grand-prize winner also will receive an Ozzie Smith autographed baseball.
Twenty first-place prize packages will be awarded as well, including a commemorative hardbound copy of the Hall of Fame Yearbook, Hall of Fame T- shirt, and a commemorative set of 20 Hall of Fame baseball cards.
"America's libraries provide everyone an opportunity to learn, dream and explore," says Smith. "While I consider it a great honor to be a member of Baseball's Hall of Fame, helping children reach their full potential through education is the most important way I can be a part of baseball today.”
Players are invited to visit their library or download the trivia questions. Players can also submit answers online.
