Embark on the FLX Library Road Trip

The Finger Lakes Library system has issued a lighthearted, no-pressure summer challenge to road trippers and bibliophiles from all over the region: can you visit the 33 libraries in the Finger Lakes before Aug. 31?

This challenge is the foundation of the FLX Library Road Trip, a summerlong, choose-your-own-adventure event put on by the larger regional library system to incentivize area residents to visit their local libraries and branch out into those in other communities. The 33 libraries included in the road trip are scattered throughout the counties of Cayuga, Cortland, Seneca, Tioga and Tompkins.  

“Libraries lost a lot of patrons during the pandemic because they were closed. So, this is sort of an opportunity to invite people back into the libraries, see what was new, see what has stayed consistent,” said Heidi Eckerson, a member services librarian with the Finger Lakes Library System. “But it’s also an opportunity to celebrate libraries, to celebrate the folks that use them, but also an opportunity to invite other folks that may not even consider, ‘What does the library have for me?’” 

To start the quest, library enthusiasts can visit any library in the system and pick up a map. The map acts as a passport that can be stamped at each library visited. Those stamps can then be redeemed for souvenirs as visitors achieve a list of milestones, including:

• A “find yourself at the library” sticker for visiting five libraries. 
• A sticker commemorating the libraries in a specific county within the system. This one can be earned by visiting all of the libraries in one county.
• An “I brake for libraries” fridge magnet, earnable by visiting 10 libraries.
• A tote bag for visiting 20 libraries.
• A custom shirt for visiting all 33.

Eckerson noted that the library system wanted the event to be accessible, to be seen as a leisurely trip rather than a contest.

“When you take a road trip, you’re seeing all the other stuff in the community along the way,” she added. “So part of it was to get folks maybe outside of their own community. The little mementos are just kind of fun things, but it is really about the journey.”

The trip, Eckerson said, is also meant to showcase programs and benefits offered at local libraries that go beyond what is typically expected.

“Even if folks could go visit a library that they hadn’t been to before, just to get a different experience, different books, different collections, different programs,” Eckerson said of the intent of the program. “We tend to encourage folks to think beyond what they may have [as] a stereotypical view of what a library is, because we’re just not that anymore.”

Beyond high-quality, free educational programs and arts and culture offerings, libraries also help connect residents with vital resources, Eckerson said.

“I was visiting a couple libraries in Cortland County today and was reminded of this the minute I walked through the doors,” she added. “There were shelves of dry goods, hygiene products and a cooler for perishables. Some of our libraries also work with local farmers and organizations to offer fresh produce for their communities, many of which lack grocery stores.”

In Tompkins County, county human services agencies have set up resource hubs at libraries in rural areas to help connect residents to housing, food assistance, tax preparation programs and other vital social safety net services.

“In some places, we’re the center of the community; we do a little bit of everything,” Eckerson said. “We are community hubs.”

Abigail Young, who visited all eight libraries in Tioga County earlier this summer, said that each library offered something unique to browse and take in.

“The librarians and volunteers have been a joy to speak with at each stop,” she said. “Many of them get excited to see our road maps of where we have been. Every library has something special about it, no matter its size. From pet fish to an actual opera house, we’ve seen a lot of fun things  — and the books have been great, too.”

For library workers, the renewed interest from road trippers has brought in an air of fun to their workplace. Laura Mielenhausen, library director at Ulysses Philomathic Library, said she enjoys hearing road trip stories from new patrons.

“We put our FLX Library Road Trip materials alongside our library tree, which invites people to answer a question and hang their response on the tree. This month’s question is ‘Where will you travel this summer  — in real life or in a book?’” she said. “Patrons are telling us their travel plans to real and fictional locations. Visiting different libraries allows us to share ideas with other library professionals and come back inspired to try out a new program or service at our own library.”

Ulysses Connection appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com. Contact Eddie Velazquez at edvel37@gmail.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @ezvelazquez.

In brief:

The Citizen Pruners of the town of Ulysses are looking for new volunteers. Citizen pruners can learn about tree and shrub maintenance and rejuvenation, selection for their space and care in the early years.

An information session will be held at the Ulysses Town Hall on Aug. 20 and 27 from 5:30-7:00 p.m. or on Zoom.

Interested parties can register at ccetompkins.org/events and contact Marissa Nolan at mn623@cornell.edu for further information.