The Estevan Public Library (EPL) has many exciting promos coming up in March, and they’re turning to a new way to promote their activities.
They have started announcing their news through monthly podcasts published on YouTube and shared through their website and social media. The month of March will bring a lot of activities and options to get engaged for the Estevan community.
As of this week, the library started its St. Patrick's Day program.
"It's basically come celebrate St. Patrick's Day and Irish culture for the entire month of March. So, any patron that checks out an item about St. Patrick's Day or about Irish culture or Irish experience will be entered into a draw to win an Irish prize," said branch manager Jason Redshaw.
"There will be two prizes, one for adults and one for children. Each prize will become a surprise; we are not giving it away yet."
To be entered into the draw, people can check out a movie or a book relevant to the topic any time in March. Anything Irish-related will work, patrons just need to let the library staff know and they will enter people into the contest.
The contest will run until March 31, and the draw will take place early April.
The EPL is also running a Leprechaun Traps program, which will start on March 11 for all ages. It's a take and make initiative also dedicated to St. Patricks' Day. The patrons will need to supply the base of the trap, which is just a box, and the library will supply the decorations.
"It's a fun family program where all family can do, and it's just something that a family can take out," Redshaw said.
They are also doing a Teens Create: Spring Garland on March 16, which is also a take and make, in which teens will learn to create different garlands.
"There are still some kits available for that, and kits will be available for pick up Sunday, March 14," Redshaw said.
In general, the EPL programs are currently getting close to being full or are full. Redshaw pointed out that it took some time for people to get used to the online format, but they are currently seeing more interest and hope that it will keep growing as they implement various incentives to stimulate people to sign up with the library.
"We've been doing a circulation contest. So anybody who comes into the library and checks out an item gets placed into a draw. And that's for a $20 gift card from a local business," Redshaw said, adding that the contest runs every month.
Besides, they have a new card membership contest. Anybody that comes in to make a new membership, or a person that recommends someone to get membership gets entered in a draw as well.
"So if you have a family member or a spouse and they don't have a library card, bring them out into the library and you also will be entered into the contest," said Redshaw in the March podcast.
A gift basket of books will serve as a prize for this contest.
The EPL is currently handing out snowshoes and walking poles for up to three hours. Patrons can land snowshoes while the winter is still sticking around, while walking poles can be used all year round.
The EPL recently started the podcast to announce their projects and programs in February, and now they continue to develop it.
"It's a work in progress. The first one was pretty much just me saying what events were happening at the library. We did the second one with Jessica (Kelly, adult programming co-ordinator) and that was a bit more lively. And as this podcast progresses, we'll be talking more and more about events within the library, but also some interesting things happening within the publishing world as well, such as new books and new trends," Redshaw said.
There are more adult and children programs happening at the library. More details on the EPL's March programming and activities can be found on the Southeast Regional Library’s YouTube channel, as well as on their Facebook page and at estevanlibrary.weebly.com. News is published regularly, while the podcast is uploaded on the first day of each month.
