LIB 2026 — Joy Points Field Guide
⚡ Official Bureau Documentation ⚡
Joy Points
Field Guide
LIB FEST 2026 · KERN COUNTY, CA · CONFIDENTIAL
The Joy Points System is a parallel side-quest layer running alongside the main scavenger hunt. 100 NFC tags are distributed across the LIB campus — hidden, placed, and timed to reward the curious, the adventurous, and those who show up at the right moment. Points accumulate in real time on a live leaderboard. No app download required. Any smartphone bumps a tag and the experience launches instantly in the browser.
Point Economy
100
Total NFC Tags
~101,500
Max Joy Points
6
Tag Experience Types
8
Earnable Badges
5
Timed Events
4
Rank Levels
The Six Experiences
+250
Joy Points
Basic Surveying
60 Tags · Standard
The most common tag. Basic survey nodes scattered across the campus — rewards active exploration. Each scan triggers a rotating Bureau transmission unique to the moment.
Tags 001 through 060
🔧
+1,000
Joy Points
Routine Maintenance
10 Tags · Standard
Maintenance nodes that require periodic attention. The Bureau thanks you for your service. Maintenance of the informational fabric is everyone's responsibility.
Tags 061 through 070
🔭
+1,500
Joy Points
Observational Field Study
8 Tags · Special
Your observational data has been submitted to the Bureau's field research archive. Findings of this kind are rare. Finding 3+ unlocks the Bureau Archivist badge.
Tags 071 through 078
🧠
+2,000
Joy Points
Exploratory Mnemology
7 Tags · Cache
The study of memory patterns embedded in physical space. What you found here was not lost — it was waiting to be remembered. Triggers Cache Operative and Bureau Archivist badges.
Tags 079 through 085
🎰
+100–1,000
Joy Points · Randomized
Staff Node
10 Tags · Staff-held
Staff members carry these badges. Subjects scan them for a randomized Joy Point award revealed via slot machine. The Bureau's proprietary algorithm determines the outcome. Results are final.
Tags 091 through 100
🚨
First Responders — Bureau Dispatch Event
5 Tags · Temporal · Requires Active Window
Coordinated with Do-Labs show schedules. Each tag is assigned a time window aligned to a stage event or activation. Only awards points during that window — before or after returns an expired message. Announced on Bureau Dispatch. Rewards presence and attention.
Tags 086 through 090 · Windows set via Supabase dashboard before each event
+5,000
Joy Points
Research Program Completion Bonus
Awarded automatically when a subject completes the full scavenger hunt and unlocks the Endgame page. The single highest-value individual reward — also earns the Pastronaut badge.
+10,000
Joy Points
Rank System
🔰
Field Operative
0+
Starting Rank
Senior Operative
5,000+
Active explorer
🔬
Bureau Analyst
25,000+
Serious collector
Temporal Attaché
60,000+
Rarest rank
Badge System
🛼
Skater
Complete Rink-a-Dink stage
Strategist
Complete Arcadium stage
🎵
Musician
Complete Big Leroy's stage
💡
Illuminated
Complete Art Clave stage
🃏
Gambler
Complete Frick Frack stage
🚀
Pastronaut
Complete the full hunt
🏅
Cache Operative
Find 1st Field Study or Mnemology tag
🏆
Bureau Archivist
Find 3+ Field Study or Mnemology tags
How It Works
1
Enroll
Scan QR on festival poster. Receive a Bureau Field Name. Stored to device.
2
Explore
Find NFC tags across campus. Bump phone to tag — no app needed.
3
Absorb
Tag-specific experience fires in browser. Points logged to Supabase instantly.
4
Compete
Live leaderboard updates in real time. Individual, team color, and team number views.
Integration & Data Access
First Responders Coordination
  • 5 temporal tags aligned to specific show times and locations
  • Each tag has a configurable active window (e.g. 9:45PM–10:15PM)
  • Windows set via Supabase dashboard — 30 seconds per tag
  • Events teased on Bureau Dispatch as cryptic lore posts
  • Drives foot traffic to specific areas at specific times
Live Data Dashboard
  • Supabase read-only dashboard link provided to Do-Labs
  • Festival Stats view: enrollments, completions, total points
  • Team Green vs Team Orange live aggregate totals
  • Stage-by-stage funnel drop-off analytics
  • CSV export available at any time from the dashboard
Zero Maintenance During Event
  • All tracking fully automated — no staff intervention needed
  • Duplicate scan protection built in at database level
  • Tags deactivatable in seconds if lost or damaged
  • Temporal windows open and close automatically
  • Leaderboard updates live without any manual refresh
Physical Tag Specs
  • 100 × NTAG213/215 NFC sticker tags
  • Compatible with all iOS (XS+) and Android natively
  • No app download required — opens in Safari/Chrome directly
  • URLs written via NFC Tools app (free, iOS + Android)
  • Slugs are randomised — URLs cannot be enumerated