Hunting season opened in Lewiston this week, but it’s a different kind of hunt in an unusual season.
People of all ages are invited to search for books in Lewiston parks through the end of April.
The Lewiston City Library is partnering with the Lewiston Parks & Recreation Department to deposit free books in the parks for the rest of the month.
The books, which are labeled with a note from the library, are being placed in plastic resealable bags.They are for people to keep and not return, said Lynn Johnson, the library’s director. “We wanted to get books into people’s hands.”
The books are new and aren't from the library’s collection. Some are advance reader copies of novels or nonfiction books that librarians receive for free and aren’t allowed to sell or put in collections. Many of the children’s books are ones the library receives from the Idaho Commission for Libraries to give away during summer reading programs and other events, Johnson said.
Hunters are asked to leave books untouched in the bag for another reader to find if they don’t look interesting or age appropriate. If a book does strike their fancy, people are invited to take it home to keep. “We don’t want them back,” Johnson said.
The parks that are most likely to have books will be posted each week on the Lewiston City Library’s website and social media pages. Successful book hunters are encouraged to post a picture of themselves with their book on the library’s Facebook page and to use the hashtag #lewistonbookhunt if they’d like to be featured in a post on Instagram or Facebook.
Organizers encourage people to remember to practice social distancing while out hunting.
