Adult Reading Challenge set to begin
TOM PINNEY/DAILY FORUM
Reading silently Adult Reading Challenge coordinator Kim Offutt reads Richard Flanagan’s The Narrow Road to the Deep North, one of the approved books for the 2017 Adult Reading Challenge. The ARC runs today through Feb. 28, with a special kickoff event Saturday afternoon.
With the new year underway, the Maryville Public Library is offering an incentive for adults to read in their spare time.
The Adult Reading Challenge kicks off today and runs to the end of February, offering adults a chance to win prizes for reading books.
Similar to the Summer Reading Challenge for area students, the Adult Reading Challenge is an annual event designed to encourage adults to keep reading. ARC coordinator Kim Offutt said the library has done it before.
“We’ve done the challenge for at least five years,” Offutt said. “We figured we have a ton of stuff targeted at kids, but nothing really for adults.
“[Library Director] Stephanie Patterson brought the program here when we started it. It’s a great event for adults to participate in.”
There are four separate events throughout the ARC, each one with its own significance. The first, the ARC Kickoff, happens this Saturday from 12:30 – 2 p.m.
“The kickoff will give adults the chance to ask any questions or ideas they have about the challenge,” Offutt said. “Since this year’s event is different from previous years, we also want to explain some of the differences we have.
“For instance, this year we’re adding a cap on raffle entries at four so that someone who only has time to read one book still has a chance of winning a prize. We’re also adding qualifications to the books you can read to enter the contest.”
Eligible books for the Adult Reading Challenge this year include a list of Pulitzer Prize and Man Booker Prize winners, historical fiction, certain adult non-fiction categories, any adult biography, and a list of authors by whom any book would qualify, including Margaret George, Bernard Cornwell, and Thomas Hardy. The books must be checked out from the Maryville Public Library to be counted as eligible entries.
The next event, eBooks for your Tablet, takes place Saturday, Jan. 21 at 10:30 a.m.
“eBooks for your Tablet is for people with any questions about checking out books on e-readers like the Nook,” Offutt said. “I’ll be giving step-by-step instructions on how to check out free library eBooks on tablets, including how to download the Overdrive app and navigate our online software, molib2go.
“Of course, if people have questions about e-readers or eBooks and can’t make it to the event, they can always call the library and make an appointment during our regular hours Monday through Friday.”
To further encourage reading in general, the library will host a Book Swap on Saturday, Feb. 11 from 12:30 – 2 p.m. Offutt said the event would be open to more than just those who choose to participate in the challenge.
“It’ll be an open-house environment for people to swap some of their gently-used books,” Offutt said. “This way, you bring in your books and get ‘new’ books for them.”
The final event of the challenge is a Creative Writing Oasis on Saturday, Feb. 25 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Offutt said this event is new.
“We have the Robb Fine Arts room in the library, but a stipulation of the room’s funding was that it remain locked,” Offutt said. “It’s open to the public, but you have to come to the desk to get the key.
“For the Creative Writing Oasis, we’re opening the room for people to have a quiet space to do some work. It’s a beautiful room and a perfect spot to get some work done, so we’ll have it open for people to come and go as they please. They might even meet people who would be willing to collaborate if that’s what they’re looking for.”
Offutt said entering the contest is a very easy process.
“If you’re 18 or over and a card-carrying member of the library, all you need to do is come in and get the information packet,” Offutt said. “It’s the easiest program for people to participate in.
“There’s a quarter-page of information on the challenge itself, a calendar of events, and then two pages worth of information on approved books you can check out. After that, just check out a book and start reading.”
The packet also contains four entry tickets in the drawing, which is the maximum amount of entries any person can get. Offutt said those tickets can be returned to the library during regular business hours to be entered into the contest.
The Adult Reading Challenge runs from today to Feb. 28. Ten winners will be drawn on or around March 1.
