Sparky Awards Reception

The locally held version of the Sparky Awards has come to an end! There will be a small reception in the Learning Commons on November 19th at 2pm to celebrate the winning video and award prizes, including an iPod Touch!

There will also be light refreshments of juice and cookies.

Here is the winning video:

The Light of Knowledge from Faizan Majid on Vimeo.

Want to know more about the Sparky Awards? Check out the UH Libraries Sparky Awards website.

Please join in the celebration of the winning video, which will be submitted to the National Sparky Awards competition in December and give the creator a chance at winning fame, glory, an actual Sparky award, and $1000.

Hope you can come!  And watch for the competition to return next year!

Sparky Awards Committee
Rachel Vacek, Chair
Nate McKee
Alex Simons
Miranda Bennett
Nora Dethloff

“At My Library” Creative Essay Contest – Entries Due December 7th

atyourlibrary.org, the public Web site for the American Library Association’s Campaign for America’s Libraries, is offering cash prizes and Apple iPod Nanos for the winners of two contests for the public.

The At My Library Creative Essay Contest seeks original, creative essays about users’ unique experiences at libraries and why American libraries are important.

The grand prize winner will receive $350, and a People’s Choice Award winner will receive $100. In addition, the top 10 finalists will have their essay published on the homepage of atyourlibrary.org.

The essays must be about library users’ experience(s) at libraries and include the name of the library or libraries (or their Web sites) where the experience(s) took place.  The contest is not limited to written essays.  Library users can make a video or photo slideshow.

All entries must be mailed to atyourlibrary@yahoo.com before Dec. 7, 2009.

Voting for the People’s Choice Award ends Dec. 14, 2009, and is open to everyone.  All members of atyourlibrary.org can use the ranking function to vote for a favorite essay.  To become a member, click on “Become a New Member” in the upper right corner of the screen.

The grand prize winner will be selected by an internal @ your library team. Both the grand prize winner and People’s Choice Award winner will be announced Dec. 21, 2009.

For more information, go to http://www.atyourlibrary.org/essay-contest or send an e-mail to atyourlibrary@yahoo.com

The site is also raffling off two Apple iPod Nanos over the next two months for anyone who signs up for the atyourlibrary.org newsletter.  To sign up, members of the public can enter a valid e-mail address in the “Sign Up for e-newsletter” form: http://www.atyourlibrary.org/newsletter .

Call for entries for the Sparky Awards

Create a video.   Win an iPod Touch.  Be famous.

UH Libraries is hosting the 2009 Sparky Awards, a competition for students to illustrate in a short video presentation in what they see as the value of sharing information. Winners will receive an iPod Touch and much more! Entry Deadline is November 7, 2009. Check out the site to learn more!

Do you love your librarian?

Have you worked closely with any of the librarians here within the UH Libraries?  Have they helped you or gone out of their way for you?  If you want to say thanks to that special person, now if your opportunity!

Nominate your favorite librarian for the 2009 Carnegie Corporation Of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award!

The award invites library users to recognize the accomplishments of librarians in public, school, college, community college and university libraries for their efforts to improve the lives of people in their community. Nominations will run through October 9 and are being accepted online at http://www.ilovelibraries.org/ilovemylibrarian.

Up to 10 librarians will be selected. Each will receive a $5,000 cash award, a plaque and a $500 travel stipend to attend an awards ceremony and reception in New York, hosted by The New York Times in December. In addition, a plaque will be given to each award winner’s library.

For more info about this contest, please see this press announcement on the American Library Association website.