Show Off Your Stuff at ILA!  Display Your Marketing Materials at the Inspiration Station

The Inspiration Station will be located in the Exhibit Hall and open during exhibit hours. The Inspiration Station is your one-stop destination to pick up and take home innovative marketing, promotional and partnership materials from libraries across Illinois, available for all attendees to peruse and take home as they seek ideas for their own public relations efforts or programming. You don’t have to be the marketing or PR person at your library to share/take materials—this is for anyone who does publicity or programs!

Those interested in providing materials for distribution in the Marketing Market should send 25 – 200+ copies by Wednesday, October 12 to:  Heather Imhoff, Des Plaines Public Library, 1501 Ellinwood Street, Des Plaines, IL 60016.  Materials may also be dropped off at the Inspiration Station during the conference itself.

Illinois Library Association Excellence in Marketing and Public Relations Contest

The Marketing Committee of the Illinois Library Association is launching the inaugural Excellence in Marketing and Public Relations Contest to honor innovative and effective marketing initiatives statewide. Winning entries will be on display in the Exhibit Hall during the 2011 ILA Annual Conference, as part of the Marketing Market. There will be a short reception for winners on Wednesday, October 19 from 3:30 – 5:00 p.m, all attendees are invited to meet and check out the winners. A slide show of winning entries will also be available on the ILA website and Library Matters Blog after the conference.

 Awards will be given in ten categories, one in each of the following budget ranges:

• Libraries with operating budgets up to $1 million
• Libraries with operating budgets up to $5 million
• Libraries with operating budgets over  $5 million

 Entries will be judged by professionals in the marketing and graphic design field in advance of the conference.

Entry Instructions

Libraries will only be able to enter one time in each category. Designs must have been completed/printed by September 1, 2011.

Entries should be emailed in the form of a PDF to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it no later than Friday, September 16, 2011.

Please include the following information when submitting your entry:

• Library Name
• Address
• Primary Contact, Phone, Email
• Library Operating Budget
• Awards Category
• A 500 words or less description of the entry. Please include the “who, what, why, when and where”, specific outcomes or goals reached with your initiative and why you feel it is award-worthy.

 Questions? Please contact  ILA Marketing Committee Co-Chair Heather Imhoff at 847.376.2792 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it