Libraries matter

Found this via Multimedia & Internet@ School magazine. A neat (free) little addition for your school or public library website.

The Alliance Library System and TumbleBooks, Inc. have announced the launch of an animated online book entitled "Why Libraries Matter: A Story Long Overdue."

The book, in both online and downloadable format, is available free to all public libraries and elementary schools in North America for use on their Web sites. "Why Libraries Matter: A Story Long Overdue" is the tale, told in rhyming verse, of a young girl who shows her family and neighbors how important the library is to them and their community.

The project is the latest in a series of initiatives from the Alliance Library System, which last year introduced the Libraries Matter campaign (http://www.LibrariesMatter.com) to public libraries across the world. "We wanted to raise awareness," says Kitty Pope, Executive Director of Alliance, "and thought, what better way than to produce a book about ‘Why Libraries Matter'? One of Alliance's main goals is to develop Web content for our members." So Pope and her team contacted TumbleBooks Inc., a company that specializes in creating animated, talking picture books for their online collection, TumbleBookLibrary, which is used by over 2,000 public libraries and elementary schools across the world.

The result is an animated, talking picture book that can be viewed online, downloaded, and even e-mailed to friends and family. Alliance and TumbleBooks are providing the book for free to public libraries and elementary schools. It is the first in a series of awareness and fundraising projects Alliance and TumbleBooks will be collaborating on.