March Lucky Book Contest

 

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Lucky Book program this March! It was a success beyond anything we hoped for.

Stats

Total Number of Books Wrapped: 92

Total Number of Books Borrowed: 83

Total Number of Entry Forms Returned: 63

Total Number of Correct Responses: 63

We hoped this year to get more passive programming going at the library. To the non-library professional, “passive” programs are special things which happen at the library without the direct supervision of a staff member. Our Lucky Book contest had the added advantage of taking place over the course of a month, so patrons were free to participate without the restriction of the program being a one-night-only affair.

The interest was fantastic! At the start we selected 30 fiction and non-fiction books for the contest – by the time the contest was over we’d restocked the table three times over!

If YOU Want to Host a Lucky Book Contest

We drew inspiration from other libraries and bookstores that offered “blind dates” with books. The book would be wrapped in plain paper so that patrons could not see exactly what they were getting. All they had to go on was a short description of the book’s subject before they decided to take it out or buy it.

We went a step further and made it into a contest. Playing with St. Patrick’s Day and the “luck of the Irish,” we placed entry forms in each of the book where participants could write their name, contact information, and the answer to a question about the contents of the book. The required answers were short, we didn’t want anyone to write an essay, we just wanted to be sure that the books were read.

There was no limit on the number of books patrons could take out over the course of the month, though we did limit the number per check-out to one book per patron. Once you returned the first book, you could come back and select another.

The Secret History
by Donna Tartt

Memoirs of a Geisha
by Arthur Golden

The grand prize was a $25.00 gift card to Barnes and Noble, with three additional “instant winner” entry forms placed at random in three contest books. The folks who chose those books were given $5.00 Dunkin Donuts gift cards when they returned their entry forms to the Reference desk.

Our first time out, we limited the type of books to items available in the adult fiction and non-fiction section, but this would be a fun way to spice up a teen or children's summer reading program too.