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teen programming

Escape This: Creating DIY Escape Rooms for Your Library

Escape/puzzle rooms are a popular way to incorporate gamification into your library. These interactive live adventure games appeal to all ages and abilities, and provide people with a chance to be a part of a story and their community as they problem solve.

You could hire a company to run your escape room, but the cost — plus the proprietary nature of their product — means that many libraries can only offer an escape room once, if at all. It's time to DIY!

Celebrate International Game Week

IGW logo

Whether you’ve always been a proponent of gaming in the library or were late to the party, games have found their place in adult and teen programming. According to ALA’s Games and Gaming Round Table’s (GameRT) 2016 International Games Week (IGW) report, about 82 percent of public libraries participating already had a collection of either tabletop or console games. Some libraries loan games while others focus on game events.

Angry Birds: Live Action

Participants in the Angry Birds: Live Action activity

Our library created a live-action version of the popular Angry Birds game, with the goal of creating activity that was fun and interactive while also requiring an under-current of critical thinking.

Young patrons had to use slingshots and work together to destroy the towers in which the piggies were hiding. They then worked together to try and construct towers that could withstand shots from the opposing teams.

Movies, Musicals and Madness: Spring Teen Programming Ideas

Girl Reading Outside

I have always loved planning programs. Before I was a librarian I was an event planner, and I spent my time planning events for socioeconomically challenged groups in the Bay Area. Now I spend my time planning programs and events for teens at my library and helping my fellow colleagues come up with innovative ideas for teen programs.

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