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The Great Library Giveaway FAQ
1. Which libraries are eligible?
Any local public library, private library or school library is eligible, as long as the library serves at least 100 students or patrons. The institution must be a permanent, physical structure where the books will be housed and utilized by patrons, and must have a physical US or Canadian mailing address where we can ship the books. In addition, the library must serve students or patrons who are are the ages of middle-grade books’ target audience: 8-12 year-olds.
We would particularly like to see an underserved school or library receive these books. So please keep that in mind when nominating.
2. What happens if a chosen library isn’t eligible?
If we determine that a library chosen as a finalist is ineligible, or if we are unable to verify eligibility before the voting period begins, a new library will be chosen as a finalist by our random generator. If we learn of a finalist’s ineligibility after the voting begins or the winner’s ineligibility after the voting period ends, the library will be disqualified and a new winner will be chosen among the two remaining finalists according to whose vote count is highest.
3. How are finalists chosen?
Finalists are chosen among all nominations by a random generator plugin. Only nominations listed in the announcement blog post here will be used to choose our list of finalists.
4. How do I vote for a library finalist?
Voting will begin Saturday, October 20, 2012 and end at 11:59pm Pacific time on Tuesday, October 30, 2012. The voting will happen via a poll we will insert at the top of our left sidebar. Simply click the circle next to the school you choose, and click the Vote! button. You can only cast one vote.
A word of caution: the poll does allow us to track user logins, cookies, and IP addresses. This information will not be shared with anyone and we will only use it to check any voter irregularities.
5. What if the voting poll doesn’t work?
In the event that the poll does not work, please send an email to librarygiveaway at fromthemixedupfiles dot com and we will manually count your vote in our official tally at the end of the voting period. We will also list manual counts underneath the poll, so voters can see all votes that have come in.
6. How will the books be sent to the winning library?
Once we choose the winning entry, we will contact the one whose entry was chosen for their winning library’s contact information. We will then work directly with the library to ship (or deliver in person, if possible) the middle-grade book collection.
7. What books have been donated for this giveaway?
You can view the entire list of books here. We will also highlight each donated book in blog posts throughout the nomination and voting periods.
8. Can I donate a book, too?
Yes, you can! We will be grateful for any donation you wish to add to our collection. Please see our Great Library Giveaway donation page for additional information.
9. What else can I do to help?
We are considering making this a yearly (or so) project. However, our giveaways are only as big as our outreach. If you are interested in helping us make this a yearly reality, please spread the word to as many people as you can. The more help we have, the more libraries we can impact for good. You can also download our Great Library Giveaway 2012 Press Release and pass it along to your networks. We appreciate your help. Thank you.
10. I have a question…
Please leave a comment below and we will be sure to answer your question there as well. If your question is of a sensitive nature, you may also email us at librarygiveaway at fromthemixedupfiles dot com.
I’m just clarifying as of course I want to nominate my own school library, but want to make sure I’m eligible!:
8 yr olds are generally grade 3
12 yr olds, grade 7
So eligible school libraries would need to serve all those grade ranges? Not just part of the range such as a k-5 or 6-8 school?
[Reply]
Elissa Cruz Reply:
October 19th, 2010 at 8:44 am
Sara,
A K-5 or a 6-8 school would qualify. We just didn’t want high schools or college libraries getting these books. If the school has students who would normally read these books, then they are okay.
[Reply]
Thank you,
Kathleen Phillips
Children’s Services Librarian
[Reply]
My school’s library is located in Indonesia, but if we were allowed to enter, could provide a US shipping address. We are an International school with an outdated children’s library, and voracious readers always looking for a new book. Thanks for considering this question. Stacey Hicklin
[Reply]
Elissa Cruz Reply:
September 19th, 2012 at 11:17 am
@STacey, Stacy, as long as you have a US shipping address, you are welcome to enter!
[Reply]
I was wondering if I could nominate a group of schools. I have 6 urban parochial schools that serve in high poverty areas and all are K-8. I serve as the new Technology & Curriculum Coordinator for our diocese and am a certified LMS. I was hoping I could nominate our ACUE group and share with all 6; it’s hard to pick just one.
[Reply]
Elissa Cruz Reply:
September 19th, 2012 at 11:18 am
@Shannon Bosley, Shannon, go ahead and nominate your group as one library, since you work for all of them and can split the books among the schools if you are chosen. Good luck!
[Reply]
I would like to nominate
Headland Elementary School
Headland, AL
[Reply]