Burbank Library holds mascot design contest By Brenda Gazzar, Los Angeles Daily News Calling all visionaries, dreamers and bookworms of Burbank. A mascot design contest is underway to help the Burbank Public Library create an original costumed critter or symbol to champion — drum roll, please — reading and literacy. The Burbank Fire Department has its own popular mascot, a baby elephant named Lil’ Squirt, that has helped them do community outreach for more than a decade, and it seems library officials are a tad envious. “We’ve always felt there was a need to have one in the library, one that is uniquely our own,” Library Services Director Sharon Cohen said Wednesday. “In the past, we’ve rented costumes when we’ve gone out and about when children are involved ... It draws attention and raises awareness with the library. We want them to get involved, get them reading, become library users.” A mascot would not only be great fun, she noted, but it would help brand the library and be used for children’s programming and special events. The contest is sponsored by the Burbank Neighborhood Leadership Program, which was formed in 2008 as a grass-roots effort designed to develop leadership skills while inspiring future community leaders. Entry forms can be found at all three Burbank Public Library branches or online at BurbankLibrary. They are due at 5 p.m. on March 21 to any branch. All submissions must be original designs — so the beloved Mickey Mouse and Winnie-the-Pooh are out — and will be judged by library staff and members of the Burbank Neighborhood Leadership Program. The contest is open only to Burbank residents. The creator of the winning design will receive an undisclosed prize and recognition at an unveiling on May 22. When asked if she could conjure up a mental picture of the ideal mascot, Cohen was astutely mum. “We’ve got Disney, Warner Bros., Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network in Burbank, so I don’t think I dare render an opinion on that,” she said..
Posted on: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 00:50:17 +0000
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