The Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library is proud to announce that its Marketing Department has been awarded the 2025 John Cotton Dana Award, the most prestigious honor in library marketing and public relations. Presented by the American Library Association (ALA) and EBSCO Information Services, the award comes with a $10,000 prize funded by the H.W. Wilson Foundation. The award was formally presented at the John Cotton Dana Awards Ceremony on Saturday, June 28, 2025, during the ALA Annual Conference in Philadelphia.
The award recognizes the library’s “All E, All Free” eMedia Awareness Campaign, a year-long initiative designed to bridge the gap in public understanding of the library’s extensive digital offerings, including eBooks, audiobooks, streaming media, and more, all available for free with a library card.
The campaign was spearheaded by the library’s three-person Marketing and PR team:
Under the leadership of Library Director Gale Koritansky, the team developed a creative and community-centered approach to digital outreach, leveraging in-house design, targeted messaging, and strategic use of digital tools, all without a dedicated campaign budget.
Through Facebook and Instagram posts, outreach events, digital advertising, and integration into welcome emails and library communications, the campaign achieved impressive results:
The campaign's success also saw increased engagement in physical library visits and circulation, and strong feedback from Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys.
In addition to thoughtful messaging, the campaign featured a friendly face that helped bring it to life. It used Spike the Turtle, the library’s real-life, 41-year-old mascot, who added a warm, approachable element to campaign materials.
"For library marketers, the John Cotton Dana Award often feels like an aspirational dream that’s just out of reach because of the strong competition and rigorous judging criteria,” said Marketing and Public Relations Manager Ann Malthaner. “Sue, Emily, and I are incredibly proud to bring this award and its $10,000 prize home to the Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library."
“This award is a true honor and a reflection of our team’s creativity, dedication, and deep understanding of our community,” said Library Director Gale Koritansky. “We are so proud of the work Ann, Sue, and Emily have done to show that libraries remain essential, especially in the digital age.”
The John Cotton Dana Award recognizes outstanding achievement in library marketing and is sponsored by the American Library Association’s Core Division and EBSCO Information Services. The Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library is one of only a handful of libraries nationwide to receive the honor this year.
For more information and other library winners, please click here: https://www.ebsco.com/news-center/press-releases/2025-john-cotton-dana-awards-spotlight-innovation-library-marketing