Forget Tinder, OKCupid and other modern looking-for-love rituals.
The success of the Niagara-on-the-Lake Public Library’s first speed dating session has ensured there will be more rendezvous “Between the Stacks.”
Sixteen people aged 28 to 41 turned out last Thursday looking to maybe find someone special. Or at least a new connection.
In fact, nine people found matches, says Debbie Krause, the library’s community engagement co-ordinator.
The library’s first foray into matchmaking was for straight men and women, she said, “but definitely, there’s going to be for the queer community and we’re going to try different age groups as well.”
“And maybe even something that’s a little more geared to friendship/companionship.”
After COVID, the proliferation of Zoom and enforced social separation for so long, Krause said the library is trying some different approaches, including ways to help people connect.
“I know, through some of the single people in my life, that there seems to be a bit of a dating app fatigue,” she said.
Between the Stacks grew out of conversations among the library’s small staff – “a lot of chit-chat about something fun that we can do that’s different.”
On Thursday, when people began arriving, they were given a card on which to write names and notes.
Once everyone was there, they were directed to tables placed among the stacks in the library, creating some privacy for their seven-minute conversations said, Krause.
Between each meeting, participants could sample food and drinks and a minute to “take a breather,” she said.
Konzelman Estate Winery helped sponsor the evening and contributed some bubbly to the cause.
Meanwhile, the next Between the Stacks speed dating evening has already been booked thanks to the success of the first one – and inquiries from the older crowd not wanting to be left out, said Krause.
So, on Saturday, Sept. 17, at 4 p.m. the library will host a session for those aged 60 to 75.
To find out more, or to register, go to library’s event calendar on its website, notlpubliclibrary.org.
