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Staff Guide: 2024 FLX Library Road Trip: At Your Library

Everything you need to get the show on the road!

At Your Library

Because the Road Trip includes all 33 member libraries, everyone needs to be ready for Road Trippers.  While that looks different for each library based on staff and size, there are a few basic expectations.

At a minimum, your library's participation requires that:

  • Staff know what the FLX Library Road Trip is so they can answer patron questions.
  • Keep track of the number of Road Trip visitors.
  • Hand out the Road Trip Map to patrons who request it.
  • Stamp maps using your library's book stamp.
  • Hand out souvenirs (stickers and magnets) to patrons if you are their 5th, 10th library stop, or last library in the county stop.
  • Help promote the Road Trip.

 

Other marketing tie-ins, promotions, and such are left at the discretion of the individual library.  We've created a list of "Choose Your Own Adventure Challenges".  Feel free to riff off of these. 

Here are a few other ideas:

  • Tie into your Summer Reading programming
  • Tie in to your Library of Things/Adventure Passes
  • Raffles
  • Interactive/Passive displays i.e. Favorite Road Trip Song bulletin board
  • Guest Book for travelers to sign in (a great way to track participation!)

Quick Tips

  • Be flexible.  Stuff's going to happen.
  • Patrons may not ask about the Road Trip by name. If someone enters the library and asks about stickers, souvenirs, etc., identify if they are asking about the Road Trip or your summer reading program. Use it as an opportunity to promote both!
  • When in doubt, give the souvenir.

Scenarios

These scenarios will help guide you though potential Road Trip interactions with patrons. Keep in mind that the default should be to work with the patron and make their experience--and yours-- enjoyable. When in doubt, give the souvenir.

 

Scenario: Patron(s) who do not have a library card and do not live in your service area visit your library to start the Road Trip

Let the patron(s) know that folks who are not library card holders are welcome to participate in the Road Trip and they can start their journey at your library. You cannot sign them up for a library card, but you can help them figure out where their home library is. Plus, when they go to get a library card, they can also mark off their second location!

Scenario: Patron(s) who do not live in the FLLS service area would like to participate in the Road Trip

Everyone is welcome to participate, no matter where they live. Let patrons know that although they can't sign up for a library card, they are welcome to use any in-house resources.

Scenario: A Patron comes in and says they lost their map, but they visited X number of libraries and would like to pick up a souvenir.

Give them the souvenir and a new map with the appropriate locations checked off.

Scenario: A group -family, friends, etc.- would like to participate together using one map. The group is at a souvenir library, but there is no way to verify all members of the group visited all of the libraries on the map.

Give all members of the group the appropriate souvenir.

This project is administered by the South Central Regional Library Council.