The Fort Frances Public Library Technology Centre (FFPLTC) is holding two competitions in an effort to bring more patrons into the library and get more books off the shelves and into people’s hands.
Nadine Cousineau is the Adult Services Coordinator at the FFPLTC and she says reading challenges have worked well in the past to get people interested in the books the library has to offer.
“We have two reading challenges happening this fall, we have one for adults and one for teens,” Cousineau said. “We had a fall reading challenge for adults last fall and it went really well, so we’re trying it again.”
This year the challenges are being done in a bingo format. Readers will have to check out books from the library to mark off squares on a bingo card. The cards can be picked up at the library or printed at home.
Filling out the card in different ways allows for more entries in the prize draws.
A full line is one entry, while an X or T on the card earns 3 entries while a fully blacked out card is 10 entries.
The different competitions have different categories of books to be read, for example, the adult bingo card for patrons 18+ has categories like “A book by a local author, A book by a 2SLGBTQ+ author and A book set somewhere you want to visit.” The prizes for the adult competition are third prize– a $50 gift certificate to Hallet Brewing, second prize a gift certificate for one “Gathering Grazing Box” from Eat Best Charcuterie ($85 value). First Prize is a $125 gift card for Betty’s.
The teen card for younger patrons shares some squares with the adult card but has a few different ones as well. Options include “A graphic novel, a coming-of-age story, and there’s a dog in it.” Prizes for the teen competition are third prize– A $75 gift card to Domino’s Pizza, second prize–Apple Airpods and the first prize in the teen contest is an Apple iPad.
“We’re really trying to draw some teens into the library and start checking out books,” Cousineau said. “We’re really trying to give them some incentive to come and use their library cards.
The teen bingo challenge runs from now until Dec. 22 all entries must be submitted by 4 p.m. that day. The adult challenge runs until Dec. 15 with entries required by 4 p.m. that day.
