Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Exeter Public Library Participates in Library Madness




Get your madness on at the Exeter Public Library this month.  Yes, you read that right, brackets and madness at your local library.  The Exeter Public Library and Gilbert Public Library in Friend are participating in Southeast Public Library System’s “Library Madness.”

For the next four weeks libraries will be competing against other local libraries for the number of checkouts.  The library with the highest total of checkouts per capita will move up to the next bracket. The contest will end in the first week of April.

The larger libraries are on one side of the bracket which includes, Kilgore Memorial Library in York, Seward Memorial Library, Crete Public Library, Waverly Community Library and Greenwood Public Library.
During the first week Gilbert Public Library will face Palmyra Memorial Library and Exeter has a bye week before facing Weeping Water Public Library. If Gilbert Public Library moves on they would face Pawnee City Public Library.

In week number three, if both the Exeter Public Library and Gilbert Public Library perform well, they could meet in a semi-final bracket.

In order for that to happen patrons at both libraries will have to “check out movies, magazines, books, and audio books.  All of these check outs will count for the contest,” according to Exeter Public Library Director Jessica Votipka.

Votipka explained, “The Library Commission has set up each libraries local service area based on statistics.  Exeter’s is 591 individuals so they will use that number to base the checkouts per capita.  This evens the playing field.”

Jackie Larsen, Gilbert Public Library Director thought “It sounded like fun.  We did a test run a week ahead.”

As for the what will happen if the two libraries meet, Larsen has “No predictions on the outcome right now. It’s too early to tell.”

Votipka is excited about the event, ”Stop in and support the library during Library Madness.”

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