The Library Vault

Hints for winning the Russell Library Games, September 2026 Edition

Bust out your wallet, player, because September is all about library cards! In celebration of Library Card Sign-Up Month, Russell Library hosts an annual Library Card Crawl which is this month’s Game Changer event. Mark your calendar for Saturday, 9/19 from 10am-1pm because we have shenanigans planned that’ll net you beaucoup points. There will be possums, therapy dogs, glitter tattoos, a fire truck, sweets, popcorn, ghosts hunters,* on-demand poetry, an opportunity to talk with the playwright who penned our A Christmas Carol fundraising event (ticket sales open October 1), and so much more. We’ll have our Points Wheel out for spinning and set up a one-day-only scavenger hunt for 5 Game Changer QR codes worth 150 points a pop.

The Library Card Crawl isn’t the only way to climb the scoreboard in the coming weeks. You know how “Show us your library card” could only be earned once? We changed our minds. For this month it’ll be daily. At 100 points per showing. 🤯 My brain nearly exploded trying to calculate how many points that could amount to if you visit us regularly! Plus we’re upping the point value for “Check out at Russell Library” from 25 to 50. That’s right, mathy players: if you hand us your library card when you check out, you get 150 points (100 + 50 = 150). What an auspicious number…

Garrgoyle may have a commanding lead at the moment, but if the games have taught us anything, it’s that any player can rise to the top if you play your cards right. 😉

---

As happens at the beginning of each month, Frances is on the move again. Follow the clues below to find her.

In the Building

10 points per Frances found x10, 100 points possible this month

1. When I travel I like to bring a lightweight book whose covers bend.
2. Although I’m not a book, I need two stories or more. I go straight up and down to go to another floor.
3. They look like something out of the imagination of Dr. Seuss and were pictured on a recent blog post.
4. These CT award-winners are geared toward teens.
5. Some life stories cannot be contained within regular-sized books.
6. A reservable space where you can gather as a small group.
7. Where you’d look for books to learn about computers.
8. We like big books and we cannot lie. These are particularly informative and cannot be checked out.
9. We have an old window that only looks inside. It has no glass but offers a glimpse of what staff affectionately call “the Plank.”
10. Look between two “Images of Middletown” painted by Janine Janaki.

On Russell Library’s Website

25 points per Frances found x5, 125 points possible this month

1. Is Russell Library moving? Find the facts on this FAQ.
2. When is Russell Library open?
3. These folks govern the Russell Library Company.
4. Where to go to learn about Middletown’s past.
5. You can book these online if you need a place to meet.

In Russell Library’s Email Newsletters

25 points per Frances found x7, 175 points possible this month

Um… you find these Franceses in our newsletters! We have two: our main newsletter goes out every Tuesday, and our children’s newsletter goes out every other Friday. Look all the way up and down the emails for the image below. When you see it, click it* to collect 25 points.

*But not the one below. That one is for illustration purposes only.

Other Ways to Earn Points

To see all the ways you can earn points, visit the Russell Library Games’ Points page. They’re listed from highest to lowest point value (hint hint).

* The Eastern CT Paranormal Society will also tell tale about their spooky encounters at Russell Library just in time for Halloween on 10/28 at 6pm. It might just be another Game Changer event (hint hint).