You are here

Halloween

Planning Ahead: Haunted Happenings

Halloween at your library

When you hear “library Halloween programs” you probably think of a Trick-Or-Treat story time or a teen Halloween party. But adults can enjoy Halloween programs as well. With the right partners, Halloween programs can be affordable, educational and entertaining for adult library users. We hold many of the programs on weekends or in the evening so working adults can attend.

Haunted Library

Image text: Haunted Library. Illustrations of black bats and a ghost reading a book.

On the Sunday before Halloween every year, the George Reynolds Branch Library is taken over by the Haunted Library for two fun-filled hours in an open house-style program.

We have fun and spooky activity stations throughout the entirety of the library. Activities include crafts, Bobbing for Donuts, Not-So-Spooky Storytime, face painting, candy guessing game, Spooky Photo Booth, Slime Walk (like a cake walk, but you win slime), Monster Bowling, Spooky Creatures and more! Each station has a treat or a prize to give out to participants.

Pumpkin Carving & Seed Saving Extravaganza

Two children holding pumpkins

On Saturday, October 27, 2017, the Berkshire Athenaeum, Pittsfield's public library, welcomed over 200 parents and children for our inaugural pumpkin carving party. We provided the pumpkins, carving tools and stencils.

We also used the event to introduce the joy and benefit of seed saving and our newest library initiative, the Berkshire Seed Library. We are hosting this event again on October 27, 2018.

Boooooks and Eeks-hibits: Halloween at the Academic Library

Haunted Library Screamfest, designed by Mark Zupan (Duke University)

Haunted Library Screamfest, Mark Zupan designerIn graduate school, one of my professors showed our class a photo of a reference desk lovingly decorated with paper ghosts and small pumpkins for Halloween. The professor then posed the question, “Is this a place where you would want to ask an academic research question?” Opinions about library holiday decor aside, there are clever ways you can promote services, collections and staff around a Halloween theme.

Subscribe to Halloween