Rockus Maximus: Battle of the Bands

About the Program

Category: Libraries (Best in Category)

Year: 2013

In 2008, the Pasco County Library System (PCLS) embarked on a new programming initiative in an effort to engage teenagers by using music, technology, gaming, and social networking. PCLS staff created the “Rockus Maximus: Battle of the Bands” to promote library programs and services to teens. Rockus Maximus encourages young musicians to compete in a friendly environment for prizes and provides four free concerts at local venues for teens and their families. The event encourages its young musician participants to learn and engage in effective self-marketing strategies, both in the community and online via social networking. PCLS pushed the technological envelope internally as well by filming a multi-episode promotional television show with in-house editing and graphics, creating pages on Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, and Vimeo, and setting up online polling for the public to vote on their favorite bands. This technological initiative resulted in the participation of individuals from all 50 states and 17 countries. In recent years, PCLS added a circulating collection of HD video cameras to assist bands, incorporated new video and audio editing software and hardware, and provided online training opportunities for staff. The annual event has online participation of over 10,000 and in-person attendance of over 1,200.