The Wilkes-Barre Library District has been focusing  on promoting their online resources since July of 2014.  Elaine Stefanko, Coordinator of Information Services at the Osterhout Free Library says that “the District believes it is important that those resources be promoted continuously.”

Each month Sylvia Orner, Automated and Technical Services Librarian at Osterhout, and Stafanko select an online resource of the month and prepare a quiz to send to all librarians in the district.  They focused on POWER Kids this February.  In the past they had quizzes on EBSCOHOST Master File Main Edition,  SIRS Discoverer, Searchasaurus, and BookFLIX.

Participants return the quiz to Stefanko by a designated date and each month one lucky participant wins a $5 gift certificate to a fast food restaurant.   In July 2015, the two libraries with the greatest percentage of participation of their staff over the previous 12 months will win a pizza party.

Participants are told to search for answers to the quiz using a particular resource only. Stefanko explained that the important thing is to practice using the online resource, “but it should not be a chore.  If participants cannot find an answer they are told they can  just skip that question.”

Stefanko said that they have had from 37 to 49 participants each month.   “Some libraries require all library workers to participate and some libraries never have any staff participate.

“I feel that this promotion has been a success from the positive comments that I have received from the directors of the district libraries.  One young mother that works in a reference department said that BookFLIX is  so great that she would use at home with her child.”