Library’s Explore Winter program kicks off

<p>Johnson County residents will have the opportunity to win a family membership to a local museum or zoo, including those in Indianapolis, if they read and take part in library events and challenges.</p><p>The Johnson County Public Library’s second annual Explore Winter program kicked off Monday and runs through Feb. 29, after 1,179 people participated when it debuted last year, said Karen Emery, the adult materials selector at the library system’s Franklin branch.</p><p>Patrons who have a Beanstack account can register online. New participants can register in person at any library branch, she said.</p><p>The program consists of activities separated into categories, such as Crafts and Cooking, Movies and Music, In the Community and Helping Hands. In each category, participants can complete three of five challenges to fulfill the category. For each category they complete, patrons are entered to win a weekly prize, such as a gift card to Barnes and Noble or Wild Geese Bookshop in Franklin. Readers are eligible for the grand prize, the family pass to the zoo or museum, if they complete three categories, and up their chances with each additional category they complete, Emery said.</p><p>“Our goal is to keep people involved and engaged in the library during the colder months, and to encourage them to come to programs, read and watch movies,” Emery said. “During the winter months, it’s a fun thing to do to get us through the cold.”</p><p>Challenges in the Crafts and Cooking category, for example, include trying a new recipe or completing new projects. In the Helping Hands category, participants can create a card for a first responder. And in the Reading and Listening category, patrons can read a book or listen to an audiobook, she said.</p><p>Last year, 439 people completed three or more challenges, Emery said.</p><p>The program is open to all ages, and last year participation was spread across the board, with 485 adults participating and neary 700 children and teenagers, she said.</p><p>A goal of the Explore Winter program is to provide a counterbalance to the Explore Summer program, which has a similar reward system for completing library activities when schools are on vacation.</p>