GRIMES, Iowa — The popular public library Adventure Pass program is temporarily shutting down at the end of the month due to the software company that hosts the program website going out of business.

The Adventure Pass allows patrons of participating libraries to check out free passes for attractions like the Blank Park Zoo, Science Center, and Botanical Garden, from the Adventure Pass website.

The Grimes Public Library started the Adventure Pass program in 2017 and partnered with the software company Plymouth Rocket to create and maintain the website that makes the program possible. Plymouth Rocket is going out of business and will shut down the website on December 31st.

The Grimes Public Library allows other public libraries to participate in the Adventure Pass program provided they pay their share in program fees. Since the program started 79 public libraries in Iowa have been participating.

Cheryl Heid, the Director of the Grimes Public Library, said there are plans to bring the Adventure Pass program back online as soon as possible.

“We definitely have a plan in place. It will take some time, though, to get the new software company on board and everything up and going. It is a slight higher cost and so we need to inform all the public libraries of that cost and we also need to make sure that the company that we choose is a stable company, and that can last for a good amount of time,” said Heid.

Heid hopes that the Adventure Pass will be able to return before Spring Break.

Patrons of libraries that participate in the Adventure Pass will be able to access the pass until the website shuts down on December 31st.

To donate to the Grimes Public Library to help pay for a new website visit the Friends of the Grimes Library website. Heid also recommends donating to your local library so it can pay to opt into the Adventure Pass program when it returns.