You can now borrow a provincial park (pass) from the Chatham-Kent Public Library

One of the hottest new items to hit the shelves at the Chatham-Kent Public Library isn't a book.

It's a backpack — containing field guides, a magnifying glass and a day-use vehicle permit valid for entry into any provincial park in Ontario.

This month, the library system became the third in the province, and the first in southwestern Ontario, to offer the program. Three "park pass packs" are up for grabs, with patrons able to borrow them for a week at a time — no renewals.

Donna Gaumond, the library's children's services technician, says the idea has already proven very popular with patrons.

"We've had an overwhelming response to them. The last time I checked the holds list, there were 84 holds," Gaumond told Afternoon Drive host Chris dela Torre.

"That was a little bit more than perhaps we had anticipated, particularly since the backpacks have only been in circulation for about a week."

Gaumond says the offering is part of the library's push to encourage physical literacy.

"We do have a number of other things in our collection that encourage that movement," she said. "We have play packs that you can borrow ... things like croquet sets, snowshoes, we have giant-sized games."

"[Park pass packs are] just one more piece of that."