LibraryTechtonics

The Amazon.com folks contacted me about interviewing Tony Small, senior manager of the books division, about the new library “Wish for Lit” program. With any luck, I’ll get an appointment (they’re working it out now), and I might even be able to podcast it on the PLA Blog.

From the press release, received via email today:

On the eve of the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting in Seattle, Amazon Services, an Amazon.com company (Nasdaq:AMZN - News), today announced a program aimed at giving more than $20,000 in Amazon.com products to three deserving libraries in the United States. The “Wish for Lit” program is designed to give libraries an opportunity to create “Wish Lists” on Amazon.com to receive the books and supplies that they need the most. Amazon.com’s Library Wish Lists is an online tool that easily connects donors to a library’s catalog of most-needed products.

Beginning today, libraries interested in participating must submit an online entry form at www.amazon.com/wishforlit and create their Library Wish List. Applications will be accepted until February 16, 2007, and will be evaluated based on the following equally weighted criteria:

* Quality of the application
* Urgency of the need
* Value the award would give to the library/community

One library in each of three categories (K-12, Academic and Public), will be selected from Amazon’s registry of Library Wish Lists by a panel of five judges selected by the American Library Association Chapter Relations Committee. Each winning library will receive a $5,000 gift certificate for Amazon.com products, as well as up to $2,000 of Amazon.com products that are on the library’s Amazon.com Wish List. All of the items will be shipped directly to the libraries to be put to immediate use.

“Libraries transform communities, and this is a great program to help some deserving libraries get more of the books and other supplies they need to serve their patrons,” said Greg Greeley, vice president of books at Amazon.com. “The enjoyment and pleasure of reading and lifelong learning should be shared by all, and our libraries deserve our support for their mission.”

Amazon.com’s Library Wish Lists tool connects libraries with donors who wish to purchase the most-needed items from a library’s Wish List and have the products shipped directly to the library in an easy and seamless manner. Library Wish Lists allow each library to have more than one Wish List, and each list can be managed by multiple library personnel. Donors can make online contributions to the library of their choice by visiting www.amazon.com/wishlist and searching by library name.

The winners of the “Wish for Lit” program will be announced by Amazon and the American Library Association in the first week of April on the Amazon Librarians’ Store Web site at www.amazon.com/libraries.

Tags: technology