Little Free Libraries in Greater Victoria in the spotlight with bingo game

A Little Free Library is pictured in Greater Victoria. (CTV News)

Greater Victoria’s "Little Free Libraries," which offer free book exchanges outside of homes and in community spaces, have been growing in popularity over the past several years.

Now the group looking after them is bringing back a fun game aimed at connecting more people with free books.

"We started in 2017. We mapped out 111 Little Free Libraries and now there are currently more than 615 in the region – and we've dropped off more than 70,000 books," said Pocket Places Project lead, Dr. Teale Phelps Bondaroff.

"We always try to do fun projects around Little Free Libraries," he said.

The Pocket Places Project is launching its second edition of Little Free Library Bingo.

"[It's] a game that you can play with your friends, with your family. It’s a great way to get out into the community to visit our growing network of over 615 Little Free Libraries," said Bondaroff.

To get started, you can log onto the Greater Victoria Placemaking Network website to use a bingo card generator. 

Then, venture out to any of the hundreds of little libraries in Greater Victoria to look for the items on your bingo card.

"On the card you have different boxes, so we have books about plants and gardening, book written in French, a Danielle Steel novel," said Bondaroff.

"You visit the little free library and if you find that item you can scribble it in," he said. "The idea is it’s another way of adding fun and whimsy to little free libraries."

A Little Free Library bingo card is pictured. (CTV News)

There are two cards available, one for children and one for advanced readers.

You can challenge your friends or post your results online for a chance to win prizes.

"Now the first prize of course is free books, because every Little Free Library has free books," said Bondaroff.

"But we're also encouraging people to go on social media and use the hashtag LFLBingo to share their stories, share their successes, and of course we'll have some other prizes later in the summer," he said.

The Pocket Places Project stocks Greater Victoria's free libraries with hundreds of books each week.

A map of all the marked Little Free Libraries is also available on the Greater Victoria Placemaking Network website.