Helping Libraries Help Us

I am a big fan of the nation’s public library systems so have taken notice of the vice like grip that the economy has taken on these institutions. On one hand, they are experiencing sharp increases in demand as unemployed workers turn to them as a resource for researching job opportunities. During times of recession, people with reduced incomes tend to avoid the bookstore and head to the library. As a result, they are experiencing unprecedented demand.

On the other hand, when governmental budgets get tight they cut back on the dollars that flow to the library systems. It’s kind of ironic, don’t you think, that we underfund libraries just when we need them the most.

How can the toy industry help? Well, by giving America’s libraries toys and games to lend out.   Contact Kim Olsen-Clark at kolsen-clark@ala.org and she will provide you with a mailing list of libraries and you can ship (it will have to be at your cost) to the ones you choose.

The major reason to do it is, of course, because it is the right thing to do. Children are our primary end users and we owe them the chance to play for free when things get tight. 

It is possible, however, to do good work and in doing so to help ourselves.   Children and parents who play with toys and games in libraries are going to like some of them so much that they are going to go out and buy them. In addition, they are going to tell their friends about these great products and their friends are going to tell their friends.

That’s grassroots marketing at its best. Does it work? Ask Hasbro who donated 16,541 games for the American Library Association’s National Game Day last year and are doing it again this year.

If you want to contribute games and / or toys to America’s libraries, you can do so by contacting: Kim Olsen-Clark at kolsen-clark@ala.org.