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Mystery date - with a character

Library offers 'Blind Date with a Book'

Eric Stanway Correspondent

LEOMINSTER - Blind dates can be tricky. You might just hit it off and everything’s fine. You might even meet the love of your life. Or, you might discover no chemistry is there, and you can't wait for the evening to be over.

The same is true with discovering a new book. And the Leominster Public Library has decided to literally make a date out of that, just in time for Valentine’s Day. The library hopes to pair patrons with the perfect match throughout February with its “Blind Date With a Book” display, located on the first floor of the library, 30 West St.

How does the blind date work? The library lends you an unknown book, wrapped in plain paper, and you check it out. The rest is up to you.

“This is something that other libraries have tried, so we decided to give it a shot,” said Tim Silva, head of adult services at the library. “With Valentine’s Day coming up, we saw an opportunity where we could pick out books that the staff here like, wrap them up in plain paper and get people talking about the library and the display. We could even connect them up with an author they haven’t tried before and they might like.”

Mr. Silva said that a lot of the fun comes from the patron's having no clue what he or she has picked out.

“They’re all random - fiction and nonfiction,” he said. “But they’re all books that staff members have read and liked. Not all of them are new; as a matter of fact, some of them are quite old. But we’ve found them all to be titles that are enjoyable or affecting in some way. There may be some classic in there, mysteries, romances and science fiction and some nonfiction, as well.”

And how did the date turn out? The library wants to know.

“Every book comes with a form for a one-page review sheet,” Mr. Silva said. “This is something for the patron to fill out and return with the book if they so choose. We received one just last week, and posted it on our Facebook page. I think we’ll try to do some more of that, depending on how many reviews we receive. We might end up posting just the best responses, but if there aren’t so many of those, we’ll post all of them. Of course, all of these reviews will remain anonymous.”

Mr. Silva said participants will receive a coupon for a free book from the Friends of the Leominster Library book sale, held every Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m., and on the first Saturday of the month from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. These sales provide financial support for museum passes, a newsletter, programs for the library and special projects.

“We’ll see how (the blind-date program) goes, and if it works out, we’ll try doing it again,” he said. “Of course, if that happens, we’ll have to come up with another 70 or 80 titles for people to try out, and maybe the thing will grow from there.”

For more information, call (978) 534-7522, ext. 110 or email afinch@cwmars.org.