Creating an Academic Library Escape Room Pre- and Post-Pandemic

Authors

  • Kristina Claunch Sam Houston State University
  • Sofiya Dahman University of Memphis
  • Fawn Ussery Delta State University
  • Margaret Katembe University of Texas Permian Basin

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21900/j.jloe.v3.1161

Keywords:

Academic libraries, Escape rooms, Pandemic, Low-cost outreach, Student engagement

Abstract

An Escape Room encourages patron participation within the library while having a fun and cost- effective experience. Academic librarians who are initially uncertain of trying to create an escape room will find that the benefits far outweigh the challenges. A useful example is provided in this paper. Not only are escape rooms a great outreach tool, they can easily be manipulated to fit the needs of an environment both pre- and post-pandemic. This article describes the outreach efforts of a small four-year public university library and the lessons learned.

References

American Library Association. 2023. “National Library Week History.” Last modified January 2023. ALA Conference Events. https://www.ala.org/conferencesevents/national-library-week-history.

Davis, Robin Camille. 2019. “Introducing First-Year and Transfer Students to a College Library with a Historical Mystery from the Special Collections.” College & Undergraduate Libraries 26 (4): 278–300. https://doi.org/10.1080/10691316.2019.1695034.

Edson, Shauna. 2019. “Escape Rooms Build Better Researchers.” Codex (2150- 086X) 5 (3): 30–43. https://journal.acrlla.org/index.php/codex/article/view/162.

Kasperek, Sheila. 2014. “Sign Redesign.” Pennsylvania Libraries: Research & Practice 2 (1): 48–63. https://doi.org/10.5195/palrap.2014.54.

Kincaid, Jeremy, Erin Dewitt-Miller, and Diane Robson. 2016. Escape to the Library: Building a Library Learning Escape Room for Incoming Students. (PowerPoint presentation, September 16, 2016. UNT Digital Library. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc976972/.

Kretz, Chris, Claire Payne, and Dana Reijerkerk. 2021. “Study Room Time Machine: Creating a Virtual Library Escape Game during COVID.” College & Undergraduate Libraries 28 (3/4): 273–95. https://doi.org/10.1080/10691316.2021.1975341.

Kroski, Ellyssa. 2019. Escape Rooms and Other Immersive Experiences in the Library. Chicago: ALA Editions.

Lama, Arsenio Villar and Miguel García Martín. 2021. “Decoding Escape Rooms from a Tourism Perspective: A Global Scale Analysis.” Moravian Geographical Reports 29 (1): 2–14. https://doi.org/10.2478/mgr-2021-0001.

Mirasol, Jessica Cerri and Lizzy Walker. 2020. “Transforming Tangible Materials to Intangible Experiences: A Case Study of Two Escape Rooms at Wichita State University.” New Review of Academic Librarianship 26 (2–4): 322–37. https://doi.org/10.1080/13614533.2020.1777174.

O’Reilly, Katie. 2016. “Libraries on Lockdown.” American Libraries Magazine 47 (9/10): 14–17. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2016/09/01/escape-rooms-libraries-on-lockdown/.

Ouariachi, Tania and Elving J. L. Wim. 2020. “Escape Rooms as Tools for Climate Change Education: An Exploration of Initiatives.” Environmental Education Research 26 (8): 1193–1206. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2020.1753659.

Robitel, Adam, dir. Escape Room. 2019. Chicago, IL: Columbia Pictures.

Scherer, Nicole, and Marissa Bucci. 2016. Do(n’t) panic! A manual for original library escape room events. (PowerPoint presentation, February 2016). https://libraryladynicole.com/programs/escape-room/

SELA. 2018. “SELA General News, Library News, Personnel News,” The Southeastern Librarian 66 (3): Article 4. https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/seln/vol66/iss3/4.

Veach, Claire Calderwood. 2019. “Breaking out to Break Through: Re-Imagining First-Year Orientations.” Reference Services Review 47 (4): 556–69. https://doi.org/10.1108/RSR-06-2019-0039.

Wise, Hannah, Julie Lowe, Adam Hill, Laura Barnett, and Charlotte Barton. 2018. “Escape the Welcome Cliché: Designing Educational Escape Rooms to Enhance Students’ Learning Experience.” Journal of Information Literacy 12 (1): 86–96. https://doi.org/10.11645/12.1.2394.

Downloads

Published

2023-09-07