BOOKCROSSING

BookCrossing is in Powell River - Look for New BookCrossing Centres around town!

What is "BOOKCROSSING" anyway?

BookCrossing is a free, fun activity that aims to "make the world into a library!" Although it has existed online for many years, it has recently been launched in Powell River as a literacy initiative. The Powell River Literacy Council, in partnership with the Powell River Public Library (and with donations from Oceanview Middle School) has given away more than 250 books to people who want to participate in BookCrossing, and they are now roaming around our community! Go to www.bookcrossing.com to set up an account, and find out where these books have been released!

Do you have books that you have loved, and are ready to part with? Register them with BookCrossing and send them out into the wild for someone else to enjoy!

Almost 900,000 people worldwide are involved in BookCrossing - it's time to get on the BookCrossing train!

"BookCrossing is earth-friendly, and gives you a way to share your books, clear your shelves, and conserve precious resources at the same time. Through our own unique method of recycling reads, BookCrossers give life to books. A book registered on BookCrossing is ready for adventure.

Leave it on a park bench, a coffee shop, at a hotel on vacation. Share it with a friend or tuck it onto a bookshelf at the gym -- anywhere it might find a new reader! What happens next is up to fate, and we never know where our books might travel. Track the book's journey around the world as it is passed on from person to person."

- www.bookcrossing.com
Getting Started

Getting involved in BookCrossing is easy!

First, Read a Book

Take any book that you have read and loved, and get ready to share it.

Next, Register it

1) Go to www.bookcrossing.com and sign up for a free BookCrossing account. All you need is a working email address, and a password that you choose yourself.

2) Login to the site and go to My Shelf, and click on Register Book.

3) Fill out the book's information, rate it from 1-10, and leave some comments if you like. (The site is very easy to use - it walks you through the stages of releasing a book step-by-step).

4) You will get a BCID for your book - a number that you will need to write inside to let others know that this is a book on a BookCrossing journey. You can print free labels from the website, or order a package of labels if you wish. OR you can visit one of several designated BookCrossing sites in Powell River to get some free labels (these are still being set up, and their locations will be listed here soon).

5) You're ready to release it!

Finally, Release it

1) Go to Release Book under MyShelf and write in the BCID you received for the book when you registered it.

2) Write in the release information you are asked for (for example, where you are going to leave the book, and whether you are giving it to someone you know or casting it out 'into the wild'). State the time and day you are releasing your book.

3) Go and leave it in the scheduled place!

4) Now that book is registered under your name and you will be able to watch who picks it up, what they thought of it, and the journey it goes on. (You can do this by logging into the site, going to My Shelf and clicking on All Books).






Catching Books

But BookCrossing is not just about giving your books away - you also get to take part in the other side of things - "catching" books that other people release, and reading them.

BookCrossing is a wonderful activity for the whole family. It's a treasure hunt that can inspire kids AND adults! Read and release books for any age, and of any genre. Watch this site for upcoming BookCrossing activities - and don't forget to explore www.bookcrossing.com for more info on the activity - as well as lots of cool forums, and other stuff!

BookCrossing Centres

We have set up BookCrossing Centres in a variety of locations - and there are more locations coming soon! At this point, you can find the centres in the following places:

- Nancy's Bakery (Lund)
- Powell River Family Place (Powell River Town Centre Mall)
- RiverCity Coffee
- StrongStart Centres (Henderson Elementary, Kelly Creek Elementary, James Thompson Elementary & the ORCA Bus)
- Peak Newspaper Offices
- PRCYFSS (Powell River Child, Youth & Family Services Society)
- Sliammon Community Health Centre

At the BookCrossing Centres you can drop off/pick up books. If you have books that you want to release, but you don't feel comfortable just leaving them ANYWHERE, take them to a BookCrossing Centre! You can get all the supplies you need at the centres for registering your book(s) too! BookCrossing Centres are also a great place to pick up new (to you) books! If you take a book from a BookCrossing Centre, make sure you register that you have it, let the world know what you thought of it and re-release it for someone else to enjoy.