Reading Romance: Evans City library hosts ‘Blind Date with a Book’
EVANS CITY — Visitors to the Evans City Public Library might just find their perfect match this month through the library’s “Blind Date with a Book” program.
The program features an assortment of books wrapped in colorful Valentine’s decorations to hide their titles. Each book is labeled with different “clues” — who the book would be good for, a first line and a genre—and visitors are encouraged to try their own “blind date” by checking out a surprise book.
Library associate Jessica King and a number of volunteers put together the program, which has also been a part of programs at other libraries and bookstores. The library has hosted the “blind dates” four or five times in the past, she said.
“A couple of volunteers helped me put it together,” King said. “We just collected different books that we thought might be good, something different that people wouldn’t maybe just pick up ordinarily. They have these cards on the front where we put the clues describing what the book is, they select one, and we check it out for them.”
King adds new books to the collection regularly, so that visitors have a wide variety of choices.
“If you wanted to read multiple ones, there’s not much chance you would get the same one twice,” she said.
In the past, prompts for the books have varied — this year includes a first line, but past clues have included words to describe the theme.
After finishing a book from the Blind Date program, library patrons can fill out a “Rate your Date” form, which asks them to note their first impressions, from “Love at first sight!” to “No chemistry,” describe their date in a word, and decide whether they’d go on a “second date with the author” of the book. They can then return the form to the library to be entered in a drawing for Valentine’s Day-themed prizes.
“We’ll draw a name at the end, and they’ll win a little gift basket with chocolate and candles,” she said.
The program includes books for all ages, King explained, so children, teens, and adults have choices.
“We’ve had kids participate already, and a couple of teens who requested ‘will there be some for us?’ so I made sure there is (something) for every age group,” she said. “I started with 20, and I’ve already added about 15 more, and we’re in week one.”
Christine Johns, president of the library board, said patrons have already been enthusiastic about the program.
“One of the patrons asking if (King) was going to do it again prompted her to make sure it was going to happen again this year,” she said.
The program will continue throughout February until March 4. The library is at 204 S. Jackson St.
