Howard County Library plans new Adult Battle of the Books fundraiser

Columbia-Patuxent Rotarians heard details about a new Adult Battle of the Books slated for Howard County in October when guests Mickey Gomez and Rita Hamlet spoke at the Aug. 15 club meeting.

Gomez is a volunteer with the Friends & Foundation of Howard County Library System, serving on the committee planning the first ever Adult Battle of the Books. Rita Hamlet is the library system’s Grants & Gifts Specialist and Friends & Foundation liaison.

Adult Battle of the Books is a new Friends & Foundation fundraiser as part of the library's 85th birthday celebration. It’s an adults-only reading competition where teams of 3–5 people will read six preselected books – titles chosen by a committee including adult library specialists – and compete in a trivia challenge held at local restaurant venues beginning Oct. 15. Proceeds will go to support some Friends' sponsored initiatives, such as author events, Summer Reading, Project Literacy graduation, and the youth Battle of the Books.

Teams are paying $85 each to take part. They can win prizes plus bragging rights for being in the first-ever Battle of the Books for adults in Howard County. Team registration opened at midnight and was sold out in less than 11 hours. “We have 61 teams that are going to be competing. We have 90 teams on the waiting list,” Mickey said. “We have two ad hoc teams from people not among those here in Howard County. We’ve also got 55 volunteers already signed up and three MCs on board. Community response has been incredible, just amazing.”

Partner bookstores for the event include Backwater Book in Ellicott City, Queen Takes Book in Columbia and The Last Word. “It was really important to us, not only to have people access resources through the library system, but also to be able to promote some of our local, fabulous independent bookstores,” Mickey said. To support the library system’s mission to be a place to learn, grow, and connect, Friends & Foundation financially helps some 18 initiatives.

These include a Teen Chill Room & DEAR - reading with dogs; Teen Sprouts - promoting teen activism and agricultural activism; Battle of the Books for fifth-graders; DIY - with do it yourself workshops and tools available for lending; Repair Cafe - a partnership with Columbia Ecology Institute teaching people how to repair things instead of having to go out and buy new; Music Appreciation - for kids to interact with instruments they might not have seen before; Kindergarten Here We Come - where kindergartners who might be a little nervous about that first day take a “field trip” through the experience, an opportunity for them to build confidence and know what to expect; and the Seed Library - where you can get seeds to plant your garden, and then take seeds from your garden to trade with other people through the library system.

Columbia-Patuxent Rotary is the largest and most active of the seven Rotary clubs in Howard County. It meets weekly on Friday mornings at 7:30 at JAM Eateries.