Rebecca C.

Zimmerman 1

Decoders Hunt Program Plan

The Greensboro Public Library has trouble with attendance for teen programing.
Currently, their offerings are sparse and differ incredibly across branches (Greensboro Public
Library, 2020). While the library system started offering virtual programming last November,
they did not target such videos and live sessions to teens until the end of September. Currently
most of their programs for younger teens (9-13) are science or craft-based while their offerings
for older teens (14-18) are focused on building life skills or discussing serious topics like mental
illness and eating disorders (Greensboro Public Library, 2020). I propose that we should try a
program with wider appeal that works with skills from both STEM and the humanities and
would be appropriate for all ages of teens who would be interested.
During this time of unprecedented pandemic change, all libraries are trying to adapt
programming to the new needs of their users under new safety guidelines. I would like to focus
on the fact that exercise is getting harder and harder for all of us, especially teens who are having
an extremely hard time finding safe, suitable, and nearby outdoor areas where they can exert
themselves, relax, and safely socialize with friends (Philadelphia Inquirer, 2020). As jobs for all,
especially teens dwindle and more and more teens feel trapped at home by quarantine and online
learning, teens are also feeling like they are losing their senses of independence. They long for
physical accomplishments outside their households (Charleston Regional Business Journal
2020).
To combat this, I propose the Decoder Hunt Program Series, four weekly challenges
posed to teens posted on the same time each Friday that will send them to public parks around
Greensboro. These challenges are based on the popularity of escape rooms and the principle of
geocaching boxes. The video segments each week teach participants a new code or cipher before
asking them to decipher a more complicated segment of code to find the precise location of the
hidden Decoder Box that will reveal prizes and opportunities to get their words streamed on the
next video. This program is designed to be flexible, letting library staff adjust the difficulty of
challenges each week based on the responses found in the box each week. It is also meant to
engage teens both with and without wide-reaching transportation; each selected park is in a
different Greensboro location so that participants can hopefully make it to at least one and all
interested participants can crack the clues each week and interact with library staff on the
library’s social media pages.

Purpose  To introduce teen to safe outdoor places for recreation.

 To develop teens’ critical thinking skills.
 To help teens as independent problem-solvers.
 To provide more virtual programming to teens who cannot
attend GPL’s physical library branches.
 To increase teen interest in library programs

Target Audience Teens (Ages 9-17)

 Rebecca C. Zimmerman 2

PR
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In the month leading up to the first session, we would put images like
this on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (changing the date as needed)
as designed in Canva. All social media posts will be tagged
#GPLDecoders. We would also have versions that said “Fridays in
March” physical printed and attached to pencils to give to teens in-
person at each branch.
We would list the program, its goals, and its meetings in the
corresponding issue of Connections and on the library’s online calendar.

Budget  Staff member time to tape the introduction videos, hide and
retrieve the tin each week, and go through finders’ responses
($11.75 hr x 3 hr/wk x 4 wks = $141.00)
 Gas to travel to and from park sites each week ($26.74)
 Cookie Tin ($1.12)
 Black Spray Paint ($4.68)
 Prizes ($7.50 wk x 4 wks = $30.00)
 Color Printing ($34.50)
 Bulk Customized Pencils ($54.09)
 Sticky Notes ($6.98)
 Total = $299.11
 Rebecca C. Zimmerman 4

Details Step 1: Set Up Decoders Box

 Spray paint outside of cookie tin black
 Place a divider within the inside of the tin, demarcating it into
two sides.
 On the left side, place at least 150 sticky notes and 5 pencils.
 On the right side, place at least 150 prizes.
 Place the Decoders Box Instructions (attached) in the box (if
possible, laminate or place in a plastic sleeve first to protect
from the elements)
Step 2: Hide the Box (locations below)
Step 3: Write the Code (instructions below)
Step 4: Record the Video for the Week
 Each video will have four parts:
o An introduction (usually with a history component)
o Teaching the Cipher of the Week
o A book connection
o A sign-off featuring responses, the Question of the
Week, and the general location of the box
 Week One: Caesar Cipher in Price Park
o Introduce participants to the Decoders Box, an object
hidden around Greensboro for them to find. They will
have from 5:00 pm Friday until 5:00 pm Thursday each
week to decode the clues you leave them, find the box,
and leave their notes for the next video.
o Cipher of the Week: The Caesar Cipher, a single-
substitution cipher in which each alphabetical letter is
shifted to the right three times.
o Book Connection: Enola Holmes Series Book One, The
Case of the Missing Marquis (recommended ages 10-14)
(All recommended Book Connections are available
through GPL on Overdrive)
o Sign off telling participants that the box is in Price Park.
Give further hints as needed and the final clue(s) in
Caesar Cipher (be sure to include this in the description
of the video so letters can be seen). Note: Remind
Hunters that not all prizes are created equal. If you post
your answers where others can see, they might get there
before you. Any questions can be addressed to the
library’s social media with the tag #GPLDecoders.
Question of the Week: What’s your favorite piece of
treasure-hunting media?
 Week Two: Keyed Caesar in Center City Park
o Intro: History of Julius Caesar and the Caesar Cipher
o Cipher of the Week: Keyed Caesar
o Book Connection: Code of Honor (ages 14+)
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o Box is in Center City Park. Question of the Week: How

does it feel when you crack a clue to something
important?
 Week Three: The Encoded Letter in Hunter Park
o Intro: The Culper Spy in the American Revolution
o “Cipher of the Week”: Hiding clues in grammatical
errors in letters. (Ex. Dear Sir, I miss you most terribly.
Please write tu me as sooN as you can. Uncoded: run)
o Book Connection: Series of Unfortunate Events (ages
12-16). A sample letter can be found in book 3, The
Wide Window
o Box is in Hunter Park. Question of the Week: What is
the toughest puzzle you’ve ever solved?
 Week Four: Combined Codes in Price Park
o Intro: How early ciphers became computer encoding
o Cipher of the Week: None; participants will have to
combine ALL THREE PREVIOUS CIPHERS to find all
the clues to the final box
o Book Connection: Stalking Jack the Ripper (ages 15+)
o Book is in Price Park. What do you think of the
Decorders Hunt this time?
Step 4: Retrieve the Box, Tally Responses, Go Back to Step 2

Program Evaluation This program is set up to get feedback through its implementation so
programmers can adjust accordingly each week. The number of views
on each video should give staff an idea of how many people are
participating while the number of sticky notes and prizes taken each
week should give the staff an idea of how many participants are finding
the box. Sticky note responses will also give staff a sense of the ages of
finders and whether they are new each week or repeating participants.
Staff can also use social media and the tag #GPLDecoders to see if
people are having trouble with the codes, the box locations, or both.
The final question is designed to get open-ended feedback on what
worked, what did not, and (if the program is popular) what could be
done better in the future (I have more codes, books, and park locations).

Follow-Ups Continue to use the tag #GPLDecoders on all library social media pages
to interact with participants, asking them more specific questions about
their favorite and least favorite codes, box locations, and videos and
well as what else they would like to learn. This could feed into other
programs, not just another possible Decoders Hunt series.
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References

Doctors Worry Covid-19 School Closures Could Worsen Childhood Obesity. Here's How to
Combat Weight Gain in Teens. (2020, May 11). Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved from
https://bi-gale-com.libproxy.uncg.edu/essentials/article/GALE%7CA623481972?
u=gree35277&sid=oclc
Greensboro Public Library. Connections (Spring 2020). Retrieved from
https://library.greensboro-nc.gov/home/showdocument?id=45168
Teens struggle to find work, independence in a summer defined by COVID-19. (2020, Jul
02). Charleston Regional Business Journal. Retrieved from
https://login.libproxy.uncg.edu/login?
url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/2420925103?accountid=14604