Russellville, Arkansas: Working jigsaw puzzles can promote problem solving skills, decrease anxiety, and facilitate socialization. All ages can experience benefits from this pastime, and the Pope County Library System offers many opportunities for patrons to do so. Each branch has a collection of Honor Puzzles available (no library card is required to check out an Honor Puzzle, and the patron may return the item at their convenience). Denise Head, Pope County Library Assistant Branch Manager, says, “Puzzles are a great way to hang out with friends and family as long as no one hogs the picture!” In fact, the staff at both the Atkins and Dover branches usually have a jigsaw puzzle in progress, ready and waiting for patron participation.
The Hector Library has established a weekly Puzzle Club for adults on Wednesdays at 2:00 pm. First and third Wednesdays feature a combined puzzle/craft club; on second and fourth Wednesdays, teens are invited to stop by after school and join in.
Additionally, the library system has just completed their second annual Speed Puzzle Contest. Teams of 2 to 4 players signed up in Atkins, Dover, and Russellville to compete in their branch contest; the winning team from each location then faced off in a finale in Russellville on January 25. Teams in the finale had 2 hours to complete a 1000-piece puzzle. The Dover Library team of Haley Cloughessy, Kelsey Duke, and Tara Stone took home top honors and a Christopher Marley puzzle as first place finishers. Genealogist Leslie Tedder, who oversaw the event said, “Speed puzzling is a fun group activity that brings together patrons from all over the system. In fact, it’s so popular we will be running another tournament later in the year!”
Patrons young and old are invited to check out an Honor Puzzle at any branch during open hours. Details about the next Speed Puzzle Contest will be shared on the library system website at popelibrary.org.
