The winners of the 2001 John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Award are:

Bellingham Public Library, Wash., for a spirited celebration of the joy of reading that heightened awareness of the library and its mission through the “Catch ‘em Reading Photo Contest.”

Denver Public Library, Colo., for mounting an energetic and effective pre-emptive public relations response strategy towards an expose on “Dr. Laura” Schlessinger’s television show, in which the library was targeted.

Dr. Eugene Clark Library, Lockhart, Texas, for “Up on the Roof with the Loony Librarian.” With an off-beat and determined spirit, a librarian camped on the library’s dome for a week to raise funds for renovations to her library.

Friends of the Pikes Peak Library District, Colorado Springs, Colo., for their raffle of a 1946 Indian Chief motorcycle to help restore the city’s historic Carnegie library. This unusual raffle generated funds, as well as new library users.

King County Library System, Issaquah, Wash., for their updated visual identity featuring a new branding mark and a focused strategic marketing effort that encouraged their community to “Turn to us. The choices will surprise you.”  The Metropolitan School District of Washington Township, Indianapolis, Ind., for the “Once Upon a Millennium” community party celebrating reading and libraries. District-wide participation and a special appearance by Garfield the cat made for a memorable and successful event.

New Mexico State University Library, Las Cruces, N.M., for its “Dino-mite” campaign, which capitalized on the public relations power of the dinosaur skull “Stan,” the most popular attraction on campus, by celebrating a $3 million naming gift and honoring the donors.

Phoenix Public Library, Phoenix, Ariz., hit a home run with its summer reading program, “Read Your Way to the Ballpark,” partnering with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Arizona Republic, a major newspaper. The program united the Maricopa County libraries for the first time.

West Bloomfield Township Public Library, Mich., for “Score Big with Books: They’ll Score Big With You,” a spirited public relations campaign that increased summer reading participation by 82 percent.