Above: Morinville Community Library Program Coordinator Jessica Sheppard shows off a couple of the books patrons can choose to read during this year’s Winter Reading Program. – Stephen Dafoe Photo
by Stephen Dafoe
The Morinville Community Library’s Winter Reading Program is on until February 28, offering patrons a chance to log their hours spent reading and earn prizes for doing so well.
This year’s program is an Emoji-based program called All The Feels.
“We want to promote reading in general,” said Morinville Community Library Program Coordinator Jessica Sheppard. “It’s a fun way to get more people into reading. I find, personally, when I have a little bit of a challenge, it’s always a little more fun to do it. It’s something that actually drives people to do it.”
The program is simple—pick a book, the Library’s or your own, read, and keep track of how much time you spend reading in January and February.
This year’s tracking of reading minutes is going online, although non-computer savvy patrons can get some help from library staff. The library has partnered with an online system called Beanstack, which specializes in reading challenges.
The address to register is MorinvilleLibrary.Beanstack.org. The website allows you to record your minutes spent reading and even has a timer to help you clock the amount of time you have eyes on the page. Patrons can also track which books they read during the program and even leave a review of their thoughts on the same.
“It’s super easy to use,” Sheppard said, noting that participants do not need a library card to participate in the Winter Reading Program. Those who have limited or no online access can come into the library to have staff log their reading minutes.
The Library offers prizes for the Winter Reading Program in two categories Youth and Adult and Children. There will be first, second and third top reader prizes awarded.
Sheppard said in addition to the patron-to-patron competition, the Morinville Community Library is competing with other Beanstack accounts, primarily in the US and Canada.
The Program Coordinator said the Library is challenging Morinville and the area to surpass last year’s reading total of 10,003 minutes by another 400 minutes of collective reading.
For more information on the Winter Reading Program, visit the Morinville Community Library at MorinvilleLibrary.ca.
