Jigsaw puzzle fans who miss out on picking up a jigsaw puzzle on Facebook’s Buy Nothing group now have another opportunity to find that 200, 500 or even 1000-piece puzzle just waiting to be assembled.
Thanks to local resident and “dissectologist" Erica Lepp, the Niagara-on-the-Lake Public Library is now offering jigsaw puzzles, said Debbie Krause, community engagement coordinator at the library.
The growing popularity of puzzles is reflected in the definition of those who enjoy them. For the logophiles: a dissectologist is a new word suggestion, according to the online Collins Dictionary. It was submitted for consideration in 2022, and the word is being monitored for evidence of usage. The definition is “A jigsaw puzzle enthusiast. Presumably from the originality 18th century name for the forerunner of jigsaws, ‘dissected maps.’”
The idea behind the library initiative, says Krause is that “It’s like a book exchange. You take a puzzle, leave a puzzle.”
Lepp reached out to the library to start a puzzle exchange when she saw so many people giving them away in the Buy Nothing group. People posted comments like “‘my mom is a senior and does puzzles all day,’” said Lepp. “It made me think that seniors on a fixed income in our town might appreciate having access to free puzzles.”
Lepp said that when her first child, Ethan, was young they would often visit a family friend, Irma Ziraldo, an older woman who lived alone. “She loved puzzles, and Ethan and I enjoyed doing them with her.”
Of Lepp’s other children, Brianna, Jada Mei, and Tia, it is Tia and Ethan who do puzzles with her. “I have many wonderful memories of time with them, chatting over puzzles. In the age of digital entertainment,” Lepp said, “it’s a nice way to connect with my kids.”
Her favourites are puzzles with lots of images and she prefers the Ravensburger and Eurographic brands.
Lepp is interested in more than jigsaw puzzles. She and a group of friends have a daily Wordle chat group where they share their New York Times games’ scores. With friends, Lepp also plays Connections, Strands, Quordle, Octordle and the mini-crossword. In person, husband Mark often joins in games such as Catan, Ticket to Ride, Quixx and Blokus. “We geek out on games pretty hard,” said Lepp.
At the library, the jigsaw puzzles have been placed where the adult graphic novel section used to be (those novels are still available, and have been moved elsewhere).
Glued to the inside of each puzzle lid is a sheet for users to keep track of the condition of the puzzle or to note any missing pieces.
When asked if the Buy Nothing Facebook group is going to be affected by the library puzzle exchange, Krause laughed and said “I think there are more than enough puzzles to go around.”
In other library news, Krause noted that the library summer programming is going really well. Staff have been busy with pop-up libraries within the smaller communities of NOTL. The next pop-up is at the Centennial Park, July 25, 10 p.m. to 12 p.m, and “you don’t need a library card,” said Krause. “We have all of the equipment to issue one right there."
Pop-up activities include borrowing books, the Summer Reading Club Meet Up at 10 a.m., Story Time with Tess at 10:30 a.m., and Creation Station at 11 a.m. Please register for Creation Station by visiting notlpubliclibrary.org.
There are three more dates for the pop-up libraries: Aug. 1 at Sparky’s Park; Aug. 8, Niagara-on-the-Green Park; and Aug. 15, Centennial Park.
Registration for August programming opens up July 20.