BONNYVILLE - The Bonnyville Municipal Library is encouraging locals to get lost in “Snow Many Books” this season.
Whether you’re a fan of a good page-turner or audio books, the library’s annual Winter Reading Program is an opportunity to keep track of your progress for the chance to win a prize.
This year, the iniative has been dubbed Snow Many Books, and encourages participants to record their literary habits from Jan. 1 to Feb. 29.
“The whole point is you’re turning your hours of reading into ballots for prize draws,” explained local library programmer Kat Eliason, adding it’s also an incentive for children to pick up a book.
“Sometimes they need a little bit of encouragement or a tangible reason. They say, ‘well, why should I read?’ Mainly because it’s good for your brain to read, but you could also win a prize.”
The local branch has been participating in the program offered to the 54 libraries within the Northern Lights Library System (NLLS). Over the past six years that the Bonnyville location has been involved, Eliason noted it’s expanded.
“Normally, these kinds of things are just for children, but they opened it up to adults. Unlike our Summer Reading Program that’s just for kids, this one is open to adults and seniors and they’ve had quite a bit of success with it. Lots of adults are really excited to participate.”
Readers fall under one of four age categories. How old the reader is determines how much time they have to log in order for their reading to count towards a ballot. The groups include children 12 and under, youth from 13 to 18, adults, and seniors. Participants under the age of nine get one ballot for three hours of reading, children between 10 and 13-years-old have to hit the books for five hours, and everyone else has to record seven hours.
Eliason stressed readers don’t have to stop once they’ve achieved their age group’s allotted amount of time.
“For every unit of time, they get another ballot. I know in years past we’ve had some eager readers that have logged like 95 hours in two months,” she exclaimed.
When it comes to recording your time, almost nothing is off limits. Cozying up with your favourite audio books, magazines, and comics is also permitted.
“Even your bedtime stories count, because obviously your five-year-old can’t read anything by themselves. They might be starting to read or are interested in reading, but you’re still doing the bulk of the reading for them and that counts,” Eliason expressed.
Log sheets are available at the library, but Eliason said anyone can keep track of their progress at home. As long as their contact information and log is handed into the library by the end of the day on Tuesday, March 3, they’ll be entered into the NLLS overall draw for one of six tablets. Local prizes will also be up for grabs.
Any reading activity between now and Feb. 29 can be recorded, logged, and entered for a chance to win.
Eliason plans to add up all of the time to let local library patrons know just how much they read over the two months.
For anyone whose new year’s resolution includes reading more books, Eliason described the program as a means of kick-starting your goal.
Stop by the library or call them at 780-826-3071 for more information on the program.
