Special to UM News

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (June 27, 2016)—The University of Miami Libraries received top honors in a national competition for library public relations and marketing materials in Orlando last week, when it collected two awards in the 2016 PR Xchange Awards Competition, hosted annually by the American Library Association’s Library Leadership & Management Association.

“One award is tremendous, but a double award is quite special and unusual,” says Dean of Libraries Chuck Eckman.

This year’s competition drew nearly 400 submissions from libraries nationwide, which were reviewed by 17 judges in each category. Materials were judged on the quality of content, originality, design, and format.

UM’s winning entries were originally designed to raise awareness of library services and programming. One of the entries, a colorful info graphic about “The Essential Ten” things to do at the library, was distributed as a flyer during New Student Orientation. It won in the category of “Patron Orientation Materials.”

“We wanted to give new undergrads a simple and informative document that familiarized them with the most important services the library could provide, from our collections to our people,” says Learning and Research Services Librarian Lauren Fralinger, head of the Libraries’ Undergraduate Engagement Working Group, who collaborated with the Communications and Events team in producing the flyer.

Its success in reaching students later inspired the larger poster version currently displayed in the Richter Library’s stacks elevators.

The Libraries also took the top prize in the “Special Events and Programming” category for a promotional poster advertising the 2015  International Edible Book Festival—and taking the nontraditional form of a hamburger illustration. The tagline: “Turn your favorite book into edible art. Make it well-done.”