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Teens use high tech for library scavenger hunt [UPDATED]
Published 10:10am Thursday, March 14, 2013 Updated 12:12pm Thursday, March 14, 2013It’s time for local teens to “Check in @ your library” as part of the national Teen Tech Week (March 10-16).
The idea behind the week is “to have teens stay connected with technology at their library,” said Arielle Krohn, youth librarian at the Fergus Falls Public Library.
Tuesday through Saturday this week, local teens in grades 6-12 can try out a QR code scavenger hunt in the Fergus Falls Library. They can use their own device like a smartphone, iPad or iPod to get the codes from the various spots in the library, or they can check out an iPad to use.
Scan the QR code on your device and a clue pops up. Each of the 11 clues has a word attached that needs to be unscrambled at the end to make up a reading-related quote.
“It’s going to make them look around the library in a different way,” Krohn said. “I hope they have fun playing around with technology at the library.”
One lucky, random winner who completes the hunt will win a $15 iTunes gift card.
The first group of scavenger hunters went on the prowl Tuesday afternoon. Miranda Hubert, 16, and Margaret Ness-Ludwig, 14, completed the hunt together using Margaret’s iPod. It only took them about 10 minutes.
“Maybe we just come to the library too much,” Margaret said.
“Everyone can do the hunt since you can use an iPad at the library; it’s not just for the people with phones,” said Dawson Rodriguez, 13.
Krohn hopes that Teen Tech Week can bring some awareness that the library isn’t just about books anymore, “but a place to access technology as well,” she said.
“We want it to be a welcoming spot for them,” Krohn said.
The library offers more than the same old paperbacks and hardcovers. You can download free digital magazines to mobile devices, iPads and Kindle Fires through the Viking Library System and the Fergus Falls library. Dawson said he prefers reading on the Kindle.
“I think there’s a lot of opportunities at the library that people are missing,” Dawson said.
On the other hand, Hubert prefers paper to a screen, and so does Margaret, who said, “you don’t get a glare off books.”
“I personally prefer having a book in my hands,” Hubert said. “Then you have a library which combines both. The library is the perfect spot for combining technology and traditional methods into something awesome.”
