Stories can bring your library to life through descriptive narratives of real-life human experiences that give meaning and help connect people to you both rationally and emotionally.
Overview of the Campaign
The New Jersey State Library is partnering with the New Jersey Library Association to launch a statewide campaign for libraries to collect stories and create multimedia pieces that will portray libraries as transformative and librarians as people in the community who are passionate and involved in the community and making a difference.
Libraries will engage communities, customers, businesses and students in telling authentic stories about their library experiences and will then translate them into moving multimedia stories of inspiration. We will share these stories through traditional and new media outlets to create a powerful word of mouth initiative.
The first segment of the campaign will be a statewide contest to encourage libraries to gather stories from their users and create a compelling digital story about the library experience. It will begin October, 2008 and end June 1, 2009.
The library submitting the best story will win a door-to-door session from Story Corps. A team of professional sound technicians will create recordings of interviews of
community members selected by the library. In addition, one of the stories recorded that day will be selected and professionally edited into a two to three minute audio
soundtrack such as those heard on NPR radio.
Second Prize:
Sony High Definition HandyCam
Third Prize: The Flip Mino
The State Library and NJLA will provide libraries with training sessions, peer review sessions and motivational talks by storytellers and filmmakers including a presentation by Netherlands filmmakers from DOK, the
Library Concept Center.
To help with the quality of production, there will be an assortment of original copyright-free music produced for libraries to use. We will also be creating various digital stories and videos to help you generate ideas for your multimedia story.
In the second year, the State Library will use the stories as part of their statewide public awareness campaign, Solving Life’s Problems. The campaign will be launched with a media blitz centered on the contest. The promotional campaign will include print media distributed to libraries and video ads to be used on their Web sites and in house digital screens. The State Library will promote the stories through social networks, YouTube, online ads, public access stations, commercial TV and movie theater venues.
Libraries will be encouraged to take their newly acquired skills and offer classes, workshops and programs to encourage community members and organizations to create stories that reflect their communities. These stories can be posted on the library's Web site and at solvinglifesproblems.org.
You will receive fantastic free promotional materials for your library and have the opportunity to register for workshops, participate in peer reviews sessions, and get individual help in all phases of your process.
Workshops
The NJLA IT Section is working with the Regional Library Cooperatives to schedule classes and workshops in your area. You will learn the skills needed to create your
story, record a voice over and develop a digital story. If your library would like to host a workshop email Amy Kearns at: amy@cjrlc.org
