Library Crawl Information and Resources for Librarians
The 8th Annual Library Crawl Will Take Place Oct. 1–31, 2026
The Annual Library Crawl is a unique event organized by the public libraries of Illinois Heartland Library System as a fun way to introduce your public library's patrons to the other libraries of the IHLS service area. Patrons visit area libraries throughout the month of the crawl and get a passport stamp at each library they visit. Some patrons have tried to visit every library in the crawl! The main purpose, though, is to help participants discover the many, many great resources available to them with their library cards.
Resources
Updates and promotional materials for the Library Crawl are available on the official IHLS Library Crawl website, hosted and managed by the Crawl organizers at Bethalto Public Library.
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What Participating Libraries Need to Do
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Your library's level of participation is completely up to you.
Basic Responsibilities
Publicizing your participation in this year's Library Crawl* Printing passports for your patrons* Welcoming visitors to your library and stamping their passports.
Library Crawl organizers will provide the digital files for the passport, graphics, and promotional materials to use by September 2026. See examples of last year's files on the official Crawl webpage, managed by Bethalto Public Library.Optional Activities
- Participant freebies — Many libraries offer a small treat or gift to Crawl participants who visit.
- Challenge or contest for home library's patrons — Many libraries also create a small challenge or contest for their own patrons who participate in the crawl. For example, Bethalto Public Library has previously held drawings for a gift card or gift basket for eligible Bethalto patrons who visited five or more libraries.
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Library Participation Registration
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Deadline: May 29, 2026
Register for the 2025 Library Crawl
To participate in the 2026 Library Crawl, fill out the form with all of the data about your library. Deadline to register is Friday, May 29, 2026.
Questions?
Contact Mary Brewster at the Bethalto Public Library (618.377.8141) if you have further questions. Or check out the Bethalto Public Library's Library Crawl webpage!
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