Issue 23 Spring 1997 What's the Big Idea ...? Anne Sarrag	Collections under which this       article appears:       Projects Related Articles or Resources

The Big Idea Competition Organiser

The Big Idea, the children's competition for National Libraries Week '97 which is organised by The Library Association and supported by Microsoft_ and Hodder Children's Books, is getting even bigger! By Easter, over two thirds of library authorities and hundreds of schools had already signed up for the challenge to design an advert to promote libraries which people everywhere will see in National Libraries Week and beyond.

Organised by The Library Association for National Libraries Week with the input of a steering group which includes representatives from YLG and ASCEL, the competition has been designed to harness children's enthusiasm for libraries and their interest and ease with today's media. The competition structure and timetable has evolved after detailed discussion with the library profession, and the steering group is confident that it has anticipated potential problems and addressed areas of concern from previous campaign competitions. Briefly, significant initiatives include:

• lengthening the competition open time (mid-April _ mid-August) which allows authorities the flexibility to run the competition whenever they choose during these dates, running it as their summer game for example.
• a realistic quantity of free material in the form of a free Starter Kit so that every authority has the opportunity to participate to some degree without purchasing material.
• introducing a free schools' Starter Kit of promotional material.
• co-ordinating the national judging via regional library authorities in the first instance and then by a team of YLG judges nationally, so that judging is accommodated appropriately and opportunities for regional publicity can be maximised.

• The official National Libraries Week co-ordinators for each region will be kept up to date with plans and developments too, so do exchange information with them!
• Library suppliers are being invited to create a small display showing The Big Idea publicity materials and resources in their showrooms for the next few months.
• The Northern Children's BookFestival is being run to coincide with National Libraries Week.

Lesley Sim, YLG Chair, welcomes The Big Idea Competition:

"YLG are looking forward to National Libraries Week as an opportunity to involve children throughout the whole of 1997 in a wide range of activities focusing children's minds on the fun side of books and libraries. The YLG judges are already looking forward to the Big decision - choosing the National Winners!"

Schools

Many authorities have ordered additional publicity material to support schools (primary and secondary) in their service. Others have found it easier to encourage individual schools to order a schools' kit directly from The Library Association if they want to participate. Teachers and school library staff will find much in the competition to enthuse children in a school setting _ and yes _ they can adapt the competition for their own use including exploiting its potential as a class project in relevant subject areas of the National Curriculum! Schools ordering material will get a customised letter reminding them not to send entries direct to The Library Association but to take entries to either the school's/child's/children's local public library in time to catch the closing date, 22 August 1997, which is holiday time for most schools. This is also explained on the competition entry form in a user-friendly way to children themselves.

How Children can Enter

The Big Idea Competition invites children from 4-15 to design an advert to encourage other children to use libraries now and in the future. Children can chose in which medium they want their advert to be seen or heard by submitting their designs for either an advert to appear on the Internet, or to be seen as a poster or in a magazine, or an idea for a radio advert. The children's competition entry form contains clear instructions and tips to help them get started, and they can also enter individually or as a group. Obviously it is difficult to address such a wide age span on one entry form, but it is hoped that the design and content will appeal to all children who will approach it from different levels of complexity depending on their age.

Judging

The judges will be briefed to look for ideas which will make effective adverts rather than a child's creative or technical ability, and age will be taken into consideration. Details and criteria for judging which will be drawn up by the steering group, will be sent to Heads of Library Services later in the year. Initially, each library authority will select a winner in each category and these entries will go on to the final to be judged Nationally by first the YLG judging team and finally by the a judging panel chosen from the world of the library profession and media.

The Big Idea... a Partnership

Sponsorship is now high on the priority list for many library managers and it is one area in which many feel they lack enough experience to find and secure appropriate sponsorship. In a recent article 1, Miranda McKearney, who is running the PR campaign for National Libraries Week, explores what it is about public libraries that interests the commercial sector by asking Microsoft® and Hodder Children's Books their reasons for getting involved - it is well worth reading!

Karen Hunt, Consumer Product Marketing Manager for Microsoft®, believes it is important for the company to forge a partnership with libraries which works on both a national scale and a local level:

"As libraries are such vital resources to local communities, we are extremely pleased to be involved in National Libraries Week's The Big Idea Competition. We are working towards making computers and information accessible to everyone. It is important that books and technology work in partnership in the future to create a strong central resource for the community and libraries are the perfect place to combine all the media available to society to ensure a complete, vibrant and relevant collection for all".

Hodder Children's Books has always been committed to supporting library services and initiatives, recognising children's librarians as an invaluable source of ideas for the promotion and publication of children's books and championing new authors and illustrators. Andrea Reece, Marketing Director for Hodder Children's Books is enthusiastic about the nature of the competition as it is something that is fun for children to do and produces entries that can be used for the long term promotion of libraries:

"We owe a lot to librarians. Sponsoring The Big Idea Competition seemed at the very least a way we could put something back into libraries and we are looking to forge long-lasting links with libraries and librarians."

Stacks of Stories for National Libraries Week

Hodder Children's Books support for National Libraries Week extends beyond The Big Idea Competition to include publication of a new children's anthology, Stacks of Stories, edited by Mary Hoffman. which features specially commissioned stories from leading authors and illustrators including Jacqueline Wilson, Quentin Blake, Shirley Hughes, Colin Hawkins, Geraldine McCaughrean and Gillian Cross. The book will be published to celebrate National Libraries Week.

Getting the Most out of The Big Idea in your Library

Libraries can use The Big Idea activities as a catalyst to get local media interest during the run up to and in National Libraries Week. It is very possible that local media - newspapers especially - will join forces in helping promote the competition at a local level and perhaps reproduce the authority winners in their pages. The briefing notes contain further details and the competition organisers are on hand to help and share experiences.

The Children's Survey

As many readers will be aware, the entry form contains a brief multiple choice questionnaire which will form the children's survey. The aim of the survey is to produce newsworthy angles about children's library habits now and their expectations of libraries in the future as part of the PR campaign for National Libraries Week. Issues include children's use of libraries for recreation and learning, influence of new technology on reading habits and the different information retrieval methods they use now and expect in the future. Again, it is an idea which can be reproduced for local press and public interest.

Blue Peter's Big Idea

As followers of National Libraries Week news will know, the children's BBC programme Blue Peter is supporting National Libraries Week by running a TV advert category as an additional competition in association with The Big Idea. This will have its own start and closing date, and judging panel. Full instructions will be given out on the programme. Blue Peter is planning to announce this competition in May, and as soon as dates are confirmed, Heads of Children's Library Services will be contacted. Although children will not need The Big Idea entry form to take part in this Blue Peter competition, the programme will run a feature about libraries and trail The Big Idea competition at the same time, so library staff might find there is a flurry of extra interest from children coinciding with this announcement.

As the co-ordinator, I think The Big Idea Competition is growing all the time! Librarians have been calling with questions and suggestions for customising and expanding the project within their own areas and the sponsors' enthusiasm and resources widens the activity base further. Library Resources Exhibition and UmbrelLA 4 will provide further opportunities for shared ideas. This project has captured everyone's imagination and enthusiasm because of its versatility, the design of the publicity material, and the harmonious and complementary approach to introducing the new technologies alongside books and reading. Meanwhile we are gearing up for the mail out of publicity material and an exciting and challenging six months.

Grace Kempster, Chief Librarian for Leeds Library and Information Services, and champion of children's issues, joined the sponsors and organisers at a reception in March to unveil the publicity materials for The Big Idea. Speaking about her enthusiasm for the Competition, she said she had three wishes for the Competition:

"Firstly, that the Big Idea will multiply and entries will be wild, wacky and overwhelming in number;that such a sea of imagination and innovation will confound the judges and celebrate the one thing every library gives every child: the freedom for imagination and the independant thought of the truly individual. Thanks in advance to YLG and ASCEL for being confounded!
Secondly, that the winning advertisements will find a new child to child advocacy laden with meaning and will be taken up as a rallying cry, shouted across the playgrounds of the land.
Thirdly, that for every child, the competition will mean new hope, new acclaim, and new discovery about themselves and the richness and value within.
... In the words of Maurice Sendak from Where the Wild Things Are: 'Let the Rumpus begin!'"

Further information and orders for publicity material: Anne Sarrag, Competition Co-ordinator Tel/Fax: 0181 850 1815. General information about National Libraries Week can be obtained from Karen Bedwell, The Library Association.Tel: 0171 636 7543 Fax: 0171 436 7218.

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