ProQuest, part of Cambridge Information Group, US, is celebrating National Library Week by encouraging libraries to take advantage of the company's popular advocacy programme. The programme includes tools and services that help librarians connect with their user communities, free database access and scholarship support for library students, and awards to recognise outstanding library school educators and those who protect intellectual freedom.
While libraries are struggling with the economic downturn and budget crunches, they are also experiencing an intensified need for their services. ProQuest is helping its customers get more from their investments with marketing toolkits specifically tailored for academic, public, corporate, military academic and military base libraries, and K-12 schools and libraries. ProQuest topic experts collected best practices in marketing, crafted templates, and compiled them for leverage by busy librarians. The toolkits are available for free at http://www.proquest.com/en-US/utilities/toolkits/default.shtml.
ProQuest's Library School Programme is aimed at supporting library education, allowing students to learn essential search skills with the reference tools they are likely to encounter after graduation. The company's acclaimed deep web resources are available to information science students at no charge during the school year. All ALA-accredited library schools in North America, and all other comparable schools in the rest of the world, are eligible for free access to these research staples.
In addition to the support provided through the marketing toolkits and Library School Program, ProQuest is also sponsoring the ALA/ProQuest Scholarship Bash, the Library Journal/ProQuest Teaching Award, and the ProQuest Intellectual Freedom Awards programme, among other regional and national library organisation sponsorships.
