ALTAFF Forms National Partnership with Paula Poundstone
Emmy-award winning comedian Paula Poundstone will help raise awareness for Friends of the Library groups as national spokesperson with the Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations (ALTAFF), a division of ALA with approximately 5,000 Friends of Library, Trustee, Foundation and individual members and affiliates representing hundreds of thousands of library supporters.
Begun in early 2009 with the merger of Friends of Libraries U.S.A. (FOLUSA) and the Association for Library Trustees and Advocates (ALTA), the new division brings together Trustees and Friends into a partnership that unites the voices of lay supporters to create a powerful force for libraries in the 21st Century. The “Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!” panelist, mother of three, and author of There’s Nothing in This Book That I Meant to Say (Harmony Books, a division of Random House, with foreword by Mary Tyler Moore) will continue to lend her name, voice, and humor to help Friends groups around the country promote themselves and their libraries, building off a successful partnership between Poundstone and the former FOLUSA.
"There I was in another unbalanced relationship," begins Emmy-award winning comedian Paula Poundstone in a new public service announcement, which can be see below and online at YouTube, along with a 15-second version. Permission is granted for Friends of the Library groups to imbed these videos on their websites to promote the Friends to their local communities.
“We’re thrilled that Paula Poundstone will continue to use her celebrity status to help highlight and support Friends of the Library groups,” said Sally Reed, Executive Director of ALTAFF. “These volunteer citizen organizations work hard throughout the year to raise money for and public awareness about their libraries. Libraries would be immeasurably poorer without them.”
“It’s funny that we think of libraries as quiet demure places where we are shushed by dusty, bun-balancing, bespectacled women,” said Poundstone. “The truth is libraries are raucous clubhouses for free speech, controversy and community. Librarians have stood up to the Patriot Act, sat down with noisy toddlers and reached out to illiterate adults. Libraries can never be shushed.”
To help local Friends groups promote themselves and the library, ALTAFF will make available free downloadable publicity materials that incorporate Poundstone’s quote, “If you haven’t been to your library lately, you’re overdue.” Included are two public service announcements available in both audio and video formats, as well as bookmarks and other materials.
In addition to the public awareness materials, Poundstone is further supporting libraries on a local level by partnering with promoters and the local Friends organization in towns and cities where she performs. The local Friends group will receive tickets for use in fundraising or promotion, and also receive a portion of the book sales after the performance where Poundstone will make herself available for signing. There will be a display table available at each location especially for Friends to promote their group and gain new members. An announcement will be made prior to each performance noting the partnership with the Friends and encouraging audience members to visit the Friends table to learn more after the performance.
Among her many accolades, Poundstone is an EMMY Award winner. She was the first woman to be invited to perform at the White House Correspondents Dinner, and the first woman to win a Cable ACE for best standup comedy special. She’s also won an ACE for Program Interviewer and an American Comedy Award for Best Female Standup. Other appearances include: Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion, Real Time with Bill Maher, Late Night with David Letterman, and several specials on HBO. The paperback edition of her first book, There’s Nothing In This Book That I Meant To Say (Harmony Books, a division of Random House, with foreword by Mary Tyler Moore), comes out this Fall.
ALTAFF is a division of ALA with approximately 5,000 Friends of Library, Trustee, Foundation and individual members and affiliates representing hundreds of thousands of library supporters. Begun in early 2009 with the merger of Friends of Libraries U.S.A. (FOLUSA) and the Association for Library Trustees and Advocates (ALTA), the new division brings together Trustees and Friends into a partnership that unites the voices of citizens who support libraries to create a powerful force for libraries in the 21st Century.