Take part in a Library Adventure during Summer 2025!
For adult York County Libraries members aged 19+
SummerQuest isn’t just for kids!
The SummerQuest theme for 2025 is Color Our World. York County Libraries members aged 19+ are challenged to take a Color Quest and visit as many of our library locations as possible this summer. Stop in while you’re tackling your GO York hikes, or use the challenge as an excuse to explore some new-to-you places in York County!
- Who—York County Library members aged 19+
- Don’t have a card? They’re free if you live or work in York County, or if you have an AccessPA library card from another Pennsylvania library. Apply for one (or renew yours) here!
- What—A summer adventure that won’t break the bank!
- The Color Quest challenge is to visit all of our library locations* and collect stamps and a secret code (a color) while you’re traveling around York County this summer. You’re always within 10 miles of a library! Find the closest one here on our website.
- There is also a bonus just-for-fun word puzzle to solve
- Where—Within the borders of York County, PA
- When—June 2 to August 17, 2025
- Why—To have fun (adults are allowed to have fun, we promise)
- Also, books.
- Also, prizes!
Stay connected by attending programs at 12* York County Libraries locations.
*Arthur Hufnagel Public Library of Glen Rock is closed for building repairs this summer. Hufnagel Library members, come join the SummerQuest fun at any of our other 12 YCL locations!
Do you want to win a prize?
The real prize is the discoveries of new local places and the books we read along the way… but sometimes it’s fun to win an actual prize too!
Those who participate in this challenge can earn entries into a prize drawing at the end of summer. Three prize package winners will be selected at random from participants who log their library visits in the Beanstack App (more info below). Don’t want to win prizes? Just get your tracking sheet stamped at each library. Bragging rights can be very satisfying!
No, what was that about prizes? I’m interested!
How it Works:
To be entered to win prizes, participants need to:
Get ready: Register your YCL library card in the Beanstack Tracker App and register yourself for the “2025 SummerQuest” Challenge.
- Step 1: Visit York County library locations* from June 2 to August 17, 2025. Pick up your tracking sheet at any library staring June 2! The more individual libraries you visit, the more prize entries you get
- Step 2: Stop by the Help Desk & ask staff to stamp your tracking sheet
- Step 3: Get the “secret color” from staff at each library & write it on the dotted pink line
- Step 4: Enter the color* on the Beanstack Tracker App. Each color entered into your Beanstack account gives you another entry to win one of three prize packages! All colors should be entered in lowercase
*Hufnagel Library is temporarily closed, so we’ve given you their secret color already. To have it count as an entry, you’ll still need to enter it into your account on the Beanstack app or website
So, what can I win?
Three participants will be selected to win a prize package at the end of summer. The prize drawing will take place on or around August 18, 2025. The more libraries you visit, the more entries you’ll get, and the more chances you have of winning! But if you can only visit a few libraries, you could still win.
Each prize package includes:
(1) Board Game, courtesy The Bodhana Group
(1) Book Journal
(1) $15 Betsy’s Bookshelf Gift Card (east York’s newest used bookstore!)
(1) YCL tote bag
(1) YCL water bottle sticker
Bean…stalk? Bean…stock? What?
Beanstack (like a stack of library books!) is a free app that allows you to take part in library reading and activity challenges! We offer several throughout the year.
If you’ve participated in the GO York Hiking Challenge, you’re probably familiar with Beanstack already. If you are not:
- First, get a library card!
- Then download the Beanstack app and find York County Libraries (PA). Use your library card number to sign up for Beanstack.
- Last, join the Challenge! Tap the Discover tab and register for the “2025 SummerQuest (Ages 19+)” Challenge. You’re ready to go!
How to log a library visit & secret code:
- Tap the blue + (plus) button at the bottom of the screen to add to your log.
- Next, tap the Activity icon. (Image #1 below)
- The list of available SummerQuest activities will appear. (Image #2 below)
- Tap the “Color Quest” activity for the library you visited.
- From the next screen, scroll down to enter the secret code in the space provided and save your answer. (Image #3 below)
You’ve just logged a library visit and earned one entry for a prize bundle!
Bonus Library Trivia Puzzle
Your tracking sheet will also have an entirely optional, just-for-the-fun-of-it puzzle to work on as you visit libraries. Besides their secret color code, each library will also have a fun Library Trivia Question and answer somewhere. (Some libraries may put this at the front desk, but others may choose to hide it, so take a look around!) You’ll learn something about the library you’re standing in.
When you’ve found each answer, enter it into the appropriate space on the right of your tracking sheet, one letter per dashed space. Within each answer, there are several circled letters. Each circled letter will have a number below it. Find the matching number blank at the bottom of the sheet, and copy the matching letter into that space (each answer space is unique, so there will be only one space for letter #1, one space for letter #2, etc.). If you complete all 13 words, you will discover a quote by a 20th-century author and the author’s name.
You can check if you are right by typing the quote and author into the optional answer sections in your Beanstack tracker. You will not get bonus prize entries for doing the word puzzle—it’s really just for fun!
Libraries Aren’t Dead
York County Libraries has books, DVDs, audiobooks, ebooks, birding backpacks, and tons more available for you to borrow for FREE. You don’t even have to store them. Just return them when you’re done! You can search our catalog for items of interest to you, or ask a librarian for help finding the perfect summer read.
Explore our Events Calendar to check out the wide range of events, talks, crafts, learning opportunities and more at our libraries. Some events require an RSVP for planning purposes, so reserve your seat early if you’re interested!
While you’re at each library, check out our unique collections, interesting architecture, and fun attributes (some of our libraries even have mascots; can you find them)? Talk with library staff about the best place to grab lunch, interesting things about the local towns, or what their favorite book is. There’s a surprising amount to explore!
To meet the varied needs of the communities around York County, each of our libraries has its own unique schedule of hours. In the case of severe weather or summer flooding, visit our website for up to date info on any emergency closures.
Am I doing this right?
Stuck? Need more help?
Wondering what that “GO York” thing is about?