Mini Golf At The Library

When we open on Saturday, April 24, 2010 patrons will find that we will have converted both the Main and Lower levels of the SLFL into an 18 hole mini golf course! Actually, if you've been to the library in the last four weeks or so you've seen the display hole. Perhaps you've also tried it. So far, we’ve only one patron sink a hole-in-one. He was just under five feet tall and probably born in the last decade of the previous century.

When I tell folks about the event on April 24th many people smile. They also look slightly stunned. They can't quite believe that we are doing this at the library. In the world of fundraising events we’ve certainly extended the boundaries. But for the library that is old hat, libraries have been extending boundaries for years. That is just one of the things that libraries can do.

But back to mini golf. So, we will have fourteen holes on the Main Level and four holes on the Lower Level inside the Cantwell Room. Of the fourteen holes on the Main Level participants will weave their way through areas not always open to the public. In fact, the 1st hole will be directly through the staff area and exit into the Adult Non-Fiction stacks. Yes, there is a door back there. By putting through all of the holes there is a good chance you will visit places in the library you might not have been to before. And that is another goal of the event. We wanted to find a way to get our patrons into areas of the library that might be new to them. Or perhaps they had not been to that area in a long time: like the Children's and Juvenile Fiction & Non-Fiction Areas, holes 11, 12 & 13. Every collection or area on the Main floor has been included: the Main Reading Area will have three holes, Adult Non-Fiction and Fiction will each sport two holes; the Audio Book section & DVD collections will each have one. And, well you get the idea.

So the SLFL gets to increase visibility within the community, provide patrons with the ability to go into collections they may not have visited in years or even known about and play a round of mini golf all at the same time. What a deal! Many full sized golf courses are proud of their settings and vistas. Here at the SLFL you'll be golfing through the stacks: the accumulated knowledge of centuries, the best of literature, fiction and non-fiction. Who knows? Perhaps a mini golfer will see a title as they walk to the next tee and become intrigued. Okay, that is not too likely. But what is likely is that everyone will enjoy themselves.

So “Thank You” to our generous sponsors and donors, listed at the library and on our web site, and thanks to the committee members, volunteers and SLFL staff who have stepped up providing money, skills, effort and time to make sure the event is a go. And as the committee chair I am going to add one more important goal that we've already met: By holding this event we've provided the opportunity for organizations, businesses and individuals to participate in helping to get people excited about and into the library; so that they can see first hand what it is we have and what it is we have to offer.

See you at the Library,
Pete