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CHICAGO - Start throwing some heat this July with programming ideas and promotions for .

July is a big month for baseball with the Home Run Derby (July 12), All-Star Game (July 13) and Induction Day (July 25). Step Up to the Plate makes it easy for libraries to help plan around these events.

Host a “Step Up to the Plate Home Run Derby,” inviting library users of all ages to enter this year’s contest. The first player in each age group to hit a home run (four correct answers) receives a small prize.

Ask baseball fans and library lovers to team up for an all ages Library All-Stars Game. Fans will work in two teams of “All Stars” to find the answers to a series of baseball questions. During the “inning” teams will be pitched a series of questions, with each correct answer counting as a hit and each wrong answer registering as an out. Questions can be pulled directly from this year’s Step Up to the Plate playbooks. After the game, encourage players to use their new found knowledge to participate in the Step Up to the Plate program.

For the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Induction Day, post facts about Hall of Fame inductees around your library. Some of those facts might come in handy when Step Up to the Plate participants are looking for answers.

Step Up to the Plate @ your library teams up two American classics - baseball and libraries - to promote the importance of information literacy skills and increase awareness of the library as an essential information resource.

Step Up to the Plate centers on a baseball trivia contest. People of all ages are encouraged to visit their library and answer a series of trivia questions inspired by our national pastime. The questions, developed by the library staff at the Hall of Fame, are based on exhibits at the museum in Cooperstown, N.Y. Trivia questions are now available to library users on the .

One grand-prize winner will receive a trip to the Hall of Fame in October 2010.

Librarians are encouraged to register for free tools to help promote the program locally on the . Tools include program logos in both English and Spanish and a toolkit that includes sample press materials and programming ideas. Thousands of school and public librarians register for the program each year.

Librarians who bring in the most entries can win incentives for participation. The library that brings in the most entries will get a $100 bookstore gift certificate. The next three libraries will receive a $50 91´«Ã½ Graphics gift certificate.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a Partner in , 91´«Ã½’s public awareness campaign that promotes the value of libraries and librarians. Thousands of libraries of all types – across the country and around the globe - use the Campaign’s @ your library® brand. The Campaign is made possible in part by , corporations and foundations.

Other Partners include Carnegie Corporation of New York, Disney Book Group, Dollar General Foundation, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Investor Education Foundation, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), Univision Radio and Woman’s Day magazine.