Lois Anderson
Dear Jigsaw Puzzle Doers: I am writing this letter to you personally, as it seems to me that people either love doing jigsaw puzzles or they hate them. There are no “fence sitting” opinions about doing jigsaw puzzles. Some view them as a useful way to keep one’s brain functioning, while others feel the idea of putting a picture together and then breaking it apart again as pure torture.
We tend to have a problem in our library with puzzle pieces staying inside their boxes. As a result, some folks put the pieces in a plastic bag, seal it, and put it into the box. This method ensures that pieces stay where they belong, as some of the boxes as well as some of the puzzles are made with thin cardboard and easily fall apart. When pieces are missing in a puzzle, please mark the spot on the picture with “X” or “0” and indicate that a piece(s) is missing. When more than two pieces are missing, the box is sealed and the puzzle is recycled.
It is helpful to keep all the pieces in the proper box if the area around the table and the floor is checked for pieces before returning the puzzle. Extra pieces found in the puzzle room are rarely returned to the proper box, so we are not keeping stray pieces in an extra bag. Loose pieces may be returned to the proper box if the puzzle worker knows which one. We thank those puzzle doers who watch for the proper box and return a stray piece to it
Thanks are extended to all who have purchased puzzles and given them to our library. We appreciate the many puzzles (300 to 500) purchased at the Dollar Store, but we applaud those who donate the quality puzzles that stand up to multiple uses that cost much more. Please, please work the quality puzzles as quickly as possible and return them. No one benefits if the boxes are being stored in your home closet for use on a rainy day.
Jigsaw puzzlers will soon be welcomed back to the tables in the clubhouse. Until that time, enjoy taking a puzzle home. Just remember to check the floor around your table before you bring it back.