Library E-Book Campaign Finalist for Nonprofit PR Award

OTTAWA AND TORONTO, Feb. 9, 2016 /CNW/ - The Canadian Public Libraries for Fair Ebook Pricing has been selected as a finalist for the PR News Nonprofit PR Award in the "PR on a shoestring budget" category. This honour, which is awarded annually by New York-based PR News Magazine, celebrates the top international public relations campaigns undertaken with a limited budget and an emphasis on making every dollar count toward its goals. Other finalists for the award include the United Nations Foundation's Girl Up campaign, the Lymphoma Research Foundation's Light it Red for Lymphoma campaign, and the Girl Scouts Adds a 'Byte' to Its Iconic Cookie Program campaign of the Girl Scouts of the USA, among others. The Canadian Public Libraries for Fair Ebook Pricing are honoured to be considered alongside such notable frontrunners for this award.

The winner of the award will be decided on March 15, 2016 in Washington D.C. at an event at the National Press Club.

The Fair Pricing for Libraries campaign emphasized the vast discrepancy between prices paid by libraries when adding ebook titles to their collections, and prices paid by private consumers. It capitalized on multiple partnerships between municipal library systems, provincial and federal organizations, and stakeholder champions in municipal politics to have the broadest possible reach.

This effort was spearheaded by staff from the Toronto Public Library and Ottawa Public Library and has enjoyed strong support from the Canadian Library Association through its Ebook Taskforce. The campaign has had the effect of increasing public awareness of the issue and generating concern among decision makers in various levels of government, including provincial Heritage Ministers.

Digital materials are the highest growth area of collections for most library systems across Canada. Political figures and government officials are getting the message that rising costs are creating challenges for libraries to maintain robust collections year over year for the benefit of the public.

For those who want more information about the campaign the website www.fairpricingforlibraries.ca is an excellent resource.

SOURCE Ottawa Public Library

Michael Powell, [email protected], 613-233-8906 (office), 613-797-7313 (mobile)