Library Lockdown: An escape room by kids for the community

• Main Authors: Jennifer Thoegersen, Rasmus Thoegersen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: In the Library with the Lead Pipe 2016-11-01
• Series: In the Library with the Lead Pipe
• Subjects: ALA Grants; children's librarianship; creativity; esacpe rooms; library lock down rooms; public libraries
• Online Access: http://inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2016/library-lock-down/

In Brief Hoping to bring the unexpected to Nebraska City, the Morton-James Public Library applied for an ALA Association for Library Service to Children Curiosity Creates grant to undertake an ambitious project: build an escape room. In a library storage room. With children. The hope was  by trying something completely different, we could increase interest in the library throughout the community and build a sense of ownership in the participants, while encouraging creativity and having a lot of fun. Library Lockdown was a four-month program that brought several dozen kids together—age 8 to 13—to build a fully-functioning escape room. Their creation, the Lab of Dr. Morton McBrains, is now open for business.