Photos by Isabell Macrina
Natalie and Ellen showing off their prize for finding the Dover Library’s hidden treasures
By Isabell Macrina
Hometown Weekly Reporter
The local library is a staple in most towns; it is the place to bring your child for story time and check out the latest book a friend recommended to you, but they can be so much more. The Minuteman Library Crawl is an annual event meant to show just that, the hidden gems offered at the library and cool prizes for finding them.
At the Dover Town Library, the librarians have them looking for a bronze statue and a wall of clocks. The bronze statue on the main floor had people walking around, exploring the study space behind bookshelves. It also exposed patrons to the blenders and miscellaneous kitchen items that are available to check out, as well as the various gaming systems, including virtual reality headsets, games, and kindles!
Librarian Lily spoke for a few moments on the goal of the crawl. “We have a lot of patrons from different towns despite being so small. We want them to see what we have to give.”
And it is a task to find the second one, sending you down to the lower floor of the library, past the corner by the stairs where they have Xbox and PlayStation systems set up for gaming, and into the kid’s section. There they have many items for check out besides books, many toys and dolls that kids go crazy for, as well as the sought after wall of clocks showing international times.
The prize in the Dover Town Library for finding both is a Magic The Gathering (MTG) style card of the Dover Town Library. They receive a lot of patrons who play trading card games like MTG, so it was a way to celebrate those in the community and have a fun collectible.
The scavenger hunt element is a great way for libraries to show off the different experiences they offer. Sherborn Library shared their mural and the puzzle exchange, where people can do the puzzles they offer for some mental engagement but is tucked away in a corner beyond the shelves, so its not the first thing people see when they enter.
Jennifer Carlson, assistant director and public services librarian, explained that they wanted to make the “crawlers” walk around and see things beyond the main room, including the mural in the kids room. While it isn’t complete, the animals frolicking on the grass make it stand out in a room containing books and computers. They offered a few different things for prizes, including some candy, a bookmark, and a pocket notebook for convenience.
Many patrons came in for the crawl during the interviews, and it was a wonder to see the librarians so excited to direct them around and share their special space.
