Designing a System-Wide Scavenger Hunt

Every children’s librarian knows that a scavenger hunt is an easy way to keep kids occupied
in the library. But what if every library in your system participated in the SAME scavenger hunt? That’s
what Emily Heller, the Public Communications Coordinator for the Bridges Library System, did for her
system located in Southeastern Wisconsin. The program was not only a big hit with kids, but also with
adults and families looking for adventure over summer.

Having inherited the beginnings of the program from her predecessor and inspired by similar programs
in Wisconsin, Emily set out to make the program her own. “The goal was to tackle the post-COVID
library visitor and circulation statistics slump that everyone experienced. The Bridges Library Passport
Challenge was designed to encourage visits to all library locations to collect stamps for prize entries. We
wanted to showcase the full library system to people that may not know about all 24 member libraries.”

Since 2023, each passport challenge has been slightly different to shake up the format and renew
interest in the program. But overall, the program works the same every year. “Participants pick up the
‘game materials’ (passport, map, routes) to play/participate at one of our libraries, then they visit
participating library locations across the system. At each library, they complete that year’s activity:
gather stamps, read the clue to find the treasure and keyword, read a story and gather letters to
unscramble, or locate themed display. Completing that small task shows they visited and can receive
their prize entry forms.” From there, people could enter to win gift cards from local restaurants around
the area. The more libraries they visited, the more entries they could receive.

To refresh the program each year, Emily played with not only the theme but the overall gameplay
mechanics. “The cross-library exploration piece has stayed at the center from the beginning. For ‘The
Library Treasure Adventure’ in 2024, we wanted to encourage visitors to look around more at each
library. Not just run in for the stamp and leave. It was a fun way to highlight something unique at each
library. We also introduced suggested routes for people to conquer groups of libraries in quadrants
using Google maps to highlight the routes. And for ‘The Journey of Dragons’ in 2025, we wanted to
highlight libraries as places that offer not only incredible materials and services, but also play, joy, and
fun. To reflect that, we’ve added some reading in a fantasy and game-inspired twist to the challenge. It
required a bit more work from participants with letter collection and password-solving.”

This year, for ‘Tracks in the Stacks: Bigfoot Hunt,’ we’re simplifying the gameplay while strengthening
the promotional value for each library. It will be easier for people to participate, and it offers more
chances to win. We also noticed that the 2025 challenge was a bit too hard for younger children, so
we’re hoping that finding Bigfoot is more inclusive for all ages.”

The end result is a lot of fun, particularly for families that library hop anyway and get another layer of
engagement and incentive to visit. But as “The hardest part is creating a program that feels unified
across the whole system while still being manageable for each individual library. With 24 member
libraries, we needed clear communication, shared timelines, and materials that could be implemented
consistently. Every library has different staffing levels, building layouts, patron traffic patterns, and local
priorities, so the challenge is designing something that is exciting enough to promote systemwide but
simple enough to execute locally. Another logistical challenge is timing. Summer programming is
already busy for public libraries, so the scavenger hunt has to fit into existing workloads. That means
instructions, promotional materials, prize processes, and display elements all need to be organized in a
way that minimizes staff burden.”

But all that work has led to some great experiences but also a shift in how patrons see their neighboring
libraries. “I think the biggest impact is increased awareness of the Bridges Library System as a network
of libraries rather than a collection of standalone locations. The program gives people a reason to
explore libraries they may never have visited otherwise, and it helps reinforce the value of shared access
across the system.” And with 11,016 visitor interactions in 2024, it certainly has been successful.

Now in her fourth year, Emily has consulted several other libraries on launching their own system-wide
programs. To anyone interested in starting their own program her advice is: “Don’t reinvent the wheel,
just customize it for you! Create a structure that is simple to manage and easy to explain. Also, build in
flexibility for libraries and participants.”

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Today’s guest contributor is Peter Blenski. Peter has been a children’s librarian in the Milwaukee and Waukesha area for over a decade.  He runs the popular library blog, Lego Librarian, where he talks about library programming and marketing.  In 2021, he served on the 100th Newbery Award Selection Committee, which gave the award to “The Last Cuentista” by Donna Barba Higuera.  He recently served on the 2026 Geisel Award Selection Committee, which gave the award to “Stop That Mop!” by Jonathan Fenske. 

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Please note that as a guest post, the views expressed here do not represent the official position of ALA or ALSC.

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