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Librarians encourage people to make lots of noise

January 17th, 2010 · 26 Comments

Okay, I don’t put up every news release but this one really startled me. The library wants you to make noise. With cowbells. Okay, not in the library. It’s for the Olympics — a cute gimmick. But still. What happened to shushing?

Red Cowbells To Honour Skiing Crazy Canucks & Encourage Canadian Athletes

(Vancouver, British Columbia) – With less than one month until the Opening
Ceremonies of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Vancouver Public Library is
encouraging Metro Vancouver residents to win or purchase a special red
Library cowbell to cheer on Canadian Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

The red cowbells inscribed with the Library logo and ‘Go Canada’ were
created to honour Canada’s legendary Crazy Canucks ski team that was the
subject of the Library’s 2009 One Book, One Vancouver program that
encourages Vancouverites to read the same book and participate in related
programming.

In the lead up to the 2010 Winter Games, the Library expanded the program
and chose two great books to get readers excited about the Games: The Crazy
Canucks: Canada’s Legendary Ski Team by Janet Love Morrison and The Farm
Team by Linda Bailey. The program culminated with an entry in the Rogers
Santa Claus Parade and Love Morrison, Bailey, City Councillors, Library
Trustees and staff handed out cowbells to excited parade goers.

There will be a free draw for ten bells at each of the Library’s 20
branches, including the Central Library. A limited quantity of the bells are
for sale at Bookmark, the Library gift store, for $3.95. Bookmark is
operated by Friends of the Vancouver Public Library and all proceeds support
the Library.

“It is tradition to ring cowbells during World Cup ski races and we wanted a
special memento for the 2009 One Book, One Vancouver program so creating
Library cowbells was perfect since one of the books was about the Crazy
Canucks,” said Jean Kavanagh, Manager, Marketing & Communications.

“We also learned that people ring cowbells at speed skating, cross country
skiing, hockey and even curling so we think this is a perfect, affordable
Games souvenir and they look great with those red mittens,” said Kavanagh.

The Library chose The Crazy Canucks as the 2009 adult One Book, One
Vancouver title to honour some of Canada’s greatest sports heroes as we
prepare to celebrate the next generation of Olympic and Paralympic heroes,
Kavanagh added.

“The Crazy Canucks all raced at the 1980 Games in Lake Placid, Steve
Podborski remains North America’s most-decorated downhill skier and skiers
in Whistler will be competing on the Dave Murray Downhill course in honour
of the late Crazy Canuck who passed away in 1990. We encourage people to
pick up a Library cowbell and ring them loudly for all of our 2010
athletes.”

The Bookmark gift store is located adjacent to the Central Library at 350
West Georgia Street.

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