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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 30, 2008
Contact:
, Austin Public Library, (512) 974-7528
Fax: (512) 974-7442
Austin Public Library “Bibliofiles” Win Annual Book Cart Drill Team State Championship
Austin, TX—April 30, 2008—At this year’s Texas Library Association (TLA) Annual Conference the Austin Public Library’s Book Cart Drill Team—Bibliofiles, won first place for the best book cart drill team in the State of Texas. A fairly new phenomenon in Texas this is TLA’s third annual competition which takes place during their conference in April. This is the second year the Bibliofiles have competed. Last year Austin Public Library (APL) won 2nd. As State champions APL will represent Texas at the American Library Association Library Book Cart Drill Team World Championship in June.
Book Cart Drill teams were first started in 1983 by Fairfax (Virginia) Regional Library as a way for the library system to participate in the annual 4th of July parade. The concept soon spread throughout Virginia’s libraries and other libraries in other states began to form book cart drill teams. In 2005 the American Library Association created the Library Book Cart Drill Team World Championship. The drill teams consists of three to fifteen library staff members that march in formation with stylized book carts and perform routines. Each team performs up to 4 minutes.
In Austin library staff thought it appropriate to form a book cart drill team to fit the city’s philosophy of “Keep Austin Weird,” as well as support APL’s own phrase “Keep Austin Reading.” “The team was formed as a creative and effective way to publicize library services, as well as, to cut through old outdated stereotypes, of libraries and the librarians,” says Anita Rizley, Youth Program Coordinator. The book cart drill team takes a plain looking tool of the trade, the book cart, and transforms it into a rolling animated billboard promoting libraries. The Bibliofiles have performed at staff events, Library conferences, public schools, and annual parades. At the 2007 First Night Parade in Austin, Texas the Austin American-Statesman dubbed the Bibliofiles “dancing librarians,” and that description says it all! Wish the Bibliofiles luck as they compete for the World Championship title for the best Library Book Cart Drill Team. Video available on www.cityofaustin.org/library.
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