Suffolk is busy reading this spring

Published 8:13 pm Monday, April 13, 2020

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More and more readers are logging their freshly-read entries for Suffolk Public Library’s “Spring into Reading Challenge” and participating in the library’s weekly activities to win prizes.

As of Monday evening, there are 2,330 books logged towards the library’s goal of 10,000 total entries. Readers logged 692 books last week, plus 23 magazines, and the top books were “The Tale of Peter Rabbit,” “My Lucky Day” and “Ruby Finds a Worry,” according to an email from Sarah Townsend, assistant director of libraries.

The Spring into Reading Challenge launched on March 23 and will run through May 31. Suffolk Public Library is using the Beanstack platform to track progress, just like in its annual Winter Reading Challenge.

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Points can be earned by reading books, newspapers, magazines, comic books and more reading materials, and also by completing different online activities. New activities are added each week during the challenge, and prizes will vary each week, as well. Townsend wrote in her email that 117 activities were completed last week.

“It’s fantastic seeing how people are participating in our Spring into Reading Challenge,” Angie Sumner, marketing and community relations coordinator for Suffolk Public Library, wrote in an email Monday. “Having new activities each week with different themes I think is attractive to them because they can find something that speaks to them and their interests, and even though they’re still completing them on their own, there’s that sense of community people need right now.”

The theme for this week is “Take Care of Number One — You” and is all about self-care during the coronavirus pandemic. There will be a meditation class through Universal Class, SPL Virtual Classes on “DIY Bath Bombs” and another for kids about the book “Ruby Finds a Worry,” a yoga video for kids, mental health resources and more activities.

This week’s prize will be a personalized care package for one winner, which will include favorite snacks, games, and other items “to help relax and take a mental break while at home,” Townsend wrote in her email.

Participants can visit suffolkpubliclibrary.com/springintoreading to register and learn more about the Spring into Reading Challenge, or visit the Suffolk Public Library Facebook page. Visitors will also find more online experiences and resources through the Suffolk Public Library’s website and social media.