Proving yet again that Super Bowl fever has infected every part of

January 30, 2014 3:26 pm
Proving yet again that Super Bowl fever has infected every part of

Proving yet again that Super Bowl fever has infected every part of our lives, Seattle Public Library has thrown down the gauntlet to show that Seattle bests Denver in book consumption. What does that have to do with football? Oh, who even knows anymore? Let’s just go with it.

After hearing about mayors and art museums in Seattle and Denver placing wagers on the Super Bowl outcome, the public libraries in both cities decided to add their own wager to the mix. Today the Seattle Public Library and the Denver Public Library began a Twitter Reading Bowl. Between now and when the game ends on Sunday each library will attempt to get the most people to tweet what they’re reading. On Sunday, the library that receives the most hashtag counts wins. The stakes are high (minded).

On the SPL blog, librarian Linda J. writes: “The wager? Whoever wins the Reading Bowl will enjoy smug satisfaction, as well as knowing that the non-winning library (because, of course, NO library is ever a loser), will do a prominent display in their Central Library of books/movies/music featuring the other city. In other words, on Monday morning, the Denver Public Library will be doing a Seattle spotlight display.”

Seattle readers should tweet the title and author of what they’re reading to @SPLBuzz using the following hashtags: #SEAreads and #ReadingBowl (“Slip in #GoHawks or @Seahawks if you have room!” SPL writes on its blog).

This isn’t the first foray into football fanaticism for the library. During the playoff games, SPL held a viewing event at the Seattle Central Library for free, during which they served “football-shaped cookies.”

“We weren’t sure how many people would show up, but the auditorium was filled—275 [people]—for both games,” says Andra Addison, director of SPL’s communication’s office. “People came early. It was a wonderful way for families and folks without access to television to be able to see the game.”

On Sunday, Feb. 2, the Seattle Central Library will host a Super Bowl viewing at its Microsoft Auditorium. Doors will be open at 2.30 p.m. with seats available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Although the Central Library closes at 6 p.m. on Sundays, patrons will be allowed to stay in the auditorium until the game ends. The rest of the library will close at 6 p.m.

As was the case in the two previous games, “no one will be shushed” for cheering.