Publicity templates, educational tools, booklists, and program planning ideas are in each link. Some events lend themselves to collaboration with schools and community organizations.
Heritage Months
Smithsonian Heritage Months . February - March - May - September - November
KQED Heritage Months - February - March - May - June - September - October - November
Reading Adtivities for Events and Holidays
Reading is Fundamental - rif.org - Reading Rockets - readingrockets.org
Bay Area Literacy Programs (BALIT) - BAYLIT Webliography - Literacy Works.org -
California Library Literacy Services - LibraryLiteracy.org
California Reading List - ALA YALSA Book Awards and Reading Lists - Reading is Fundamental (RIF) and American Library Association Children's Reading Lists
Rebecca's Pocket
Rebecca Blood has an extensive list of reading list siteares and reviews of good reads which she updates several times in the summer months. The lists include fiction, thrillers, "chick lit," travel, cooking, gardening, history, and politics. Posts include separate sections for book lists for children and young adults.
Movable Holidays and Annual Religious Holidays
Diversity Calendar - Published in late December for the coming year by the University of Kansas Medical Center Diversity Initiative. There is a link to each month of the year at the bottom of the page, and the calendar is searchable.
Movable Holidays
- Diwali (Deepavali) - 26-30, 2011 - Hindu Festival of Lights
- Eid al-Adha - November 6, 2011 - Muslim Festival of Sacrifice
- Thanksgiving Day - November 24, 2011
- Bodhi Day - December 8, 2011 - Buddhist - Buddha reached Nirvana
- Hannukkah (Chanukah) - December 2-9, 2011 - Jewish Festival of Lights
- Posada Procession Days - December 16-24
- Tu Bishvat - Jewish ''Rosh HaShanah La'Ilanot'' - "new year of the trees" - January 19, 2011 at sunset
- Chinese New Year / Tet - February 3, 2011 - Year of the Cat
Fixed Holidays
- Halloween - October 31
- All Souls Day (All Saints Day) - November 1
- Christmas - December 25
- Kwanzaa - December 25 - January 1
January Days and Months
Financial Fitness Month - Tools - System Reference Center's Money webliography
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - January 17, 2011
Graphic novel biography - MLK, Jr. Papers Project, Stanford - MLKday.gov (Day of Service and more) - Freedom Train 2011 (Caltrain charter from San Jose to San Francisco) is sponsored by the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Association of Santa Clara Valley.
February
Chinese New Year / Tet - February 3, 2011
San Francisco Events - Kaboose Crafts - Graphics & Calligraphy
Valentine's Day - Monday, February 14, 2011
March
National Nutrition Month - Nutrition.gov - Stanford Health Library-Nutrition - Kids' Science - Cool Food Planet activities - Sample collaboration with agencies and schools
Women’s History Month - History Project - Library of Congress - Places - Gale - Discovering American Women's History Online
Teen Tech Week - March 6-12, 2011 - Teen Tech Wiki - Helene Blowers list
Cesar Chavez Day – 3/31 - Activities: Foundation
April
National Library Week April 10-16, 2011 - Create your own story @ your library - ALA Fact sheet, campaigns and logos - History - Publicity sites - April 12-Drop Everything and Read Day D.E.A.R - April 12 -Library Workers Day - April 14-Support Teen Lit Day
National Poetry Month - Poets.org - Read-Write-Think Links and Booklist - Scholastics Resources and Templates - Poetry.org
Alcohol Awareness Month - Berkeley Alcohol Awareness Month 2009 (useful inks) - Wirtz Labor Library Links
Jazz Appreciation Month - Smithsonian Jazz - KCSM Jazz 98 Community - San Jose Jazz
National Car Care Month - carcare.org - Drive Healthy for California - Auto maintenance from Car Talk - Matthew Six's Webliography
National Garden Month - American Community Gardening Association - America the Beautiful Fund -
International Children’s Book Day April 2, 2010 - International Children's Digital Library - International Reading Association
Holocaust Remembrance Day(Yom Hashoah) - April 21 - U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum - Nizkor Project - Survivors and Remembrance Project - United Nations Outreach Programme
Earth Day – April 22 - earthday.net - earthday.gov - California State Parks Volumteer project sites
Global Youth Service Days - April 24-26 - Youth Service America
Dia de Los Ninos/Dia de los Libros - Children's Day/Book Day – April 30 - California Bilingual Children's Literacy Project - REFORMA Resources - ALA Reading Lists and Press Kits - Idaho State Library Links 
May
Asian/Pacific Heritage Month - Library of Congress Links - National and California Parks Sites and Events - LII Links
Get Caught Reading Month - ALA-ALSC Partnerships Links - Children’s Book Week - May 2-8, 2011
National Bike Month - Bay Area Bike to Work Day San Francisco/San Jose Bay Area - May 12, 2011 - Bike2Work Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Benito Counties - Bike to Work Week - May 16-20, 2011
Health Observances - Clean Air Month - Mental Health Month - Older Americans Month - National Senior Adult Fitness Day – May 25, 2011
Cinco de Mayo - May 5
June
Flag Day - June 14 - Library of Congress - Flag.org
LGBT Pride Month - San Francisco LGBT Pride - June 25-26, 2011
July and August - Reading!
California Summer Reading Program - Children - Teens - Adults
Bay Area Literacy Programs (BALIT) - BAYLIT Webliography - Literacy Works.org -
California Library Literacy Services - LibraryLiteracy.org
California Reading List - ALA YALSA Book Awards and Reading Lists - Reading is Fundamental (RIF) and American Library Association Childrens Reading Lists
Summer Reading from About.com
September
Hispanic Heritage Month - September 15 - October 15
For an authoritative, easy-to-use list for programming and school reports, see these eleven sites, the result of a search on Librarians Internet Index, using "Hispanic Heritage Month" as a search term in the search box.
Library Card Sign-up Month
Tap into the publicity generated by "Back to School" advertising and the media coverage on the effect of the California budget on education funding to promote your library's databases, webliographies, and catalog.
ALA publicity materials - Read Write Think
National Book Festival - 2011
Sponsored by the Library of Congress, the annual festival website has links to featured authors and activities in Washington D.C. as well as to the previous eight festivals.
Young Readers' Toolkit - Also on the festival site, the interactive Toolkit features information about National Book Festival authors who write for children and teens, podcasts of their readings, teaching tools and activities for children and suggestions for your local festival.
Banned Books Week - September 24-October 1, 2011
Banned Books Week is sponsored by the American Booksellers Association; American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression; the American Library Association; American Society of Journalists and Authors; Association of American Publishers; and the National Association of College Stores. It is endorsed by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress.
The American Library Association page describes the Freedom to Read, campaign and its Calendar of Events and Ideas and Resources.
National Alcohol and Drug Awareness Month - Recover.gov
Deaf Awareness Month & Week – September 21-27, 2009
National Association of the Deaf - Resources page
October
National Disability Awareness Month
Learning Disabilities Awareness Month
- Reading Rockets books and resources
- SparkTop.org - "for 8–12 year olds who struggle with learning."
“Library Accessibility –What You Need to Know” Toolkit
The Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) new tooklit contains 15 tipsheets in PDF on access issues for patrons who have cognitive, mental, or emotional illnesses; patrons with learning and/or developmental disabilities; patrons with service animals; patrons needing assistive technologies and patrons with physical disabilities
Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Runaway and Homeless Youth Month - California Homeless Youth Project
Teen Read Week - October 16- 22, 2011
- Register your programs. View the wealth of resources good any time of year.
November
American Indian Heritage Month
American National Diabetes Month
Back to top |