By Riley Fontana
Hometown Weekly Reporter
The Minuteman Library crawl is a yearly treasure hunt in the Minuteman system. Libraries sign up to have patrons come through their libraries and find hidden features within and offer small prizes to those traveling through the system.
This year 24 libraries participated including Dover, Sherborn and Needham. These libraries opened their doors to residents all over Massachusetts trying to cross off the libraries on their crawl passport. These libraries were delighted to partake this year and enjoyed watching newcomers explore their branches.
“We’re so excited to be a part of it this year. It’s a great way for libraries in the network to display things people do not see every day,” said Bethany Klem, the Dover Town Library (DTL) director. Within the DTL participants were searching for their Boston Post Cane and a decorative stone pony, the reward for finding these were Dover Town Library pins and pens.
Needham Free Public Library (NFPL) gave away pens for folks who could find paintings by Giovanni Castano and Ann MacFate’s plaque. Sherborn Library offered magnetic bookmarks and USB book lights for those who located Frog and Toad out in the garden and one of their two fireplaces.
The best part about the crawl is showing patrons just how many places they can use their Minuteman library cards. One card unlocks over 30 libraries within Massachusetts. Patrons can use their cards to check out books and useful items all around the state. Each library offers different collections of things to check out, and are all worth the trip. Not only does this crawl allow people to see what each library offers, but it also puts on display just how different each building is, from historic to brand new.
Other libraries participating offered prizes such as tote bags, notebooks and fidget toys to those who made the trek. Hitting every library in one day is a feat few were able to complete. Starting as soon as the libraries open is the way to go, and planning a route beforehand will come in handy when tackling the route.
The library crawl changes every year, but going out to visit different town libraries is a fun activity anytime. All the librarians welcome everyone with open arms and love to answer questions about their specific branch.
