Birmingham Citizens Encouraged to Sign Up for Library Cards as Part of Outside the Lines Promotion

In 2014, more than 175 libraries and organizations from across the United States and Canada helped shift perceptions of libraries by participating in Outside the Lines, a week-long celebration of the creativity and innovation happening in libraries. This year, the Birmingham Public Library (BPL) system’s 19 libraries are among hundreds participating in the 2015 Outside the Lines campaign to showcase the relevance and important roles libraries play throughout the city of Birmingham.

BPL and the national Outside the Lines campaign launched Sunday, September 13, and concludes on Saturday, September 19. Citizens of Birmingham are encouraged to sign up for library cards at each of the 19 libraries in the city, said Angela Fisher Hall, director of the Birmingham Public Library system.

Building upon the success of the initiative’s inaugural year, Outside the Lines aims to reintroduce libraries in Birmingham and across the U.S. and Canada, and how they continue to be dynamic centers for engagement and knowledge in our communities.

“About 152,000 people in Birmingham have library cards out of 212,000 residents,” Hall said. “Our goal is to get 25,000 more people to sign up for library cards in Birmingham this fiscal year—Outside the Lines will help get us started.”

The Outside the Lines campaign initiative was designed by Colorado library marketers and directors to make sure libraries in that state “walk the walk”—taking action to show communities how important libraries are and how they’ve adapted to changing times. The concept soon spread to other libraries across the United States and Canada.

To learn more about Outside the Lines, go to http://getoutsidethelines.org/.