The Social Library, Volume 17
Jennifer Peterson
/
16 June 2015
Volume 17 of our Social Library series features libraries hosting innovative summer contests that both engage and inspire their patrons. Whether a competition to design library cards or a hole in the library's mini golf course, or book bingo and Facebook giveaways, these these libraries are creating connections to their communities that will last throughout the year.
- The Loveland Public Library in Colorado is hosting a mini golf event at the end of the month, and in anticipation of the event, they've invited the community to enter the Putt-Putt Golf Design Contest. The patrons who play the course on June 30 will vote for the most creative of the 9 holes, and the winning design team will receive prizes!
- The James V. Brown Library in Williamsport, PA, is hosting a Library Card Design Challenge for Teens this summer. The announcement invites entrants to design a library card for teens and tweens that inspires a love of reading. For additional inspiration, the Pierce County Library System in Washington recently announced the winners of their library card design contest, and a recent Guardian article showcased London's 10 Best Library Cards.
- The Milwaukee Public Library in Wisconsin is providing some big people summer reading fun with Book Bingo for Adults. Categories include Read a book with a one-word title, Read a book published the year you were born, and Download a magazine using Zinio. And the Villard Square branch encourages patrons to explore many of the library's book lists to check off other categories, including Read a Cookbook and Make One Recipe," or books Based on a True Story, written by a Wisconsin Author, with a One-Word Title. Winning Bingo cards can be submitted as often as they're completed and prizes are awarded monthly.
#92daysofsummer is the length of the Kenton County Public Library Summer Reading Club. This Kentucky library is giving prizes away every single day on their Facebook page! "Summer can be an exciting adventure but many children get bored quickly. Shoot, even the adults do. So the Kenton County Public Library has you covered with our list of suggested activities and books for #92daysofsummer and giveaways for outings and fun stuff to do at home. We will also be giving away prizes EVERY SINGLE DAY of the 92 Days of Summer on our Facebook page so be sure to check it out every day." Browse some of the activities and prizes highlighted so far via the #92daysofsummer hashtag.
- And though not a contest, we couldn't help but enjoy photos shared by the Children's Department - Eckhart Public Library of capes being made out of old t-shirts at Superhero Camp. Kids were invited to bring an old t-shirt to cut apart, decorate and turn into a cape. And the invite kindly noted that "children younger than age 7 are welcome, but must be accompanied by a caregiver." What an easy and affordable way to empower your local superheroes!
We look forward to seeking out next week's treasures from those we follow on Facebook. If you have innovative and impactful programs going on at your library that you'd like to showcase, let us know at [email protected], or find us on Facebook.
Thanks to all of this week's featured libraries for such outstanding service to your communities!