Hosting a Library Mystery: A Programming Guide.

Hosting a Library Mystery: A Programming Guide. Hosting a Library Mystery: A Programming Guide BY ELIZABETH M. KARLE Chicago: American Library Association, 2009. 120 pp. US$40.00 (ALAmembers US$36.00) soft cover ISBN ISBNabbr.International Standard Book NumberISBNInternational Standard Book NumberISBNn abbr (= International Standard Book Number) → ISBN m9780838909867 (available from Inbooks) Is it to be a whodunit? A stolen artwork? A missing person? Atreasure to find? Is there background information to be sought? Or arethere cryptic cryp��ticn.1. Hidden or concealed.2. Tending to conceal or camouflage, as the coloring of an animal. clues or a map? Almost everyone is intrigued by a mystery,particularly if they have a chance of solving it, and this little bookis full of ideas for putting the mystery format to use in familiarising Adj. 1. familiarising - serving to make familiarfamiliarizingorientating, orienting - positioning with respect to a reference system or determining your bearings physically or intellectually; "noticed the bee's momentary orienting pause before heading back library users with the library's resources and services, A mysterycan be the basis of a library orientation tour, a teaching tool forresearch skills, an introductory activity for innovations or a publicitymedium, portraying the library as a welcoming and fun place to visit, Elizabeth Karle begins by guiding the reader step-by-step throughthe construction of a mystery designed to teach the use of thelibrary's catalogue and online journal resources. By disguising theactivity as a search for missing history professor, Dr Ima Gonner. Karleand her staff are able to assemble relevant resources available in aspecific library, develop a structure working backwards from ProfessorGonner's presumed location. Through a framework of sometimescryptic clues, participants interact with the plot and are sent togather resources and eventually locate the good doctor. Karle leads thereader through a practical workshop session on writing clues andencourages library staff to become part of the event by playing the partof characters, often in costume. She then offers suggestions for ways inwhich this script could be adapted to suit different libraries orpatrons of different ages and abilities, at the same time encouragingenthusiastic participation and making a positive impression on patrons. The book concludes with five sample scripts, complete with clues,worksheets and answer keys. They are the stolen paintings mystery(orientation tour), the Salem witch trials Salem witch trials(May–October 1692) American colonial persecutions for witchcraft. In the town of Salem, Massachusetts Bay Colony, several young girls, stimulated by supernatural tales told by a West Indian slave, claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused mystery (a disciplinespecific script), the unfriendly friends mystery (a banquet theatre),Merlin's minions mystery (advanced skills development based onfantasy) and the Treasure Island Treasure Islandsearch for buried treasure ignited by discovery of ancient map. [Br. Lit.: Treasure Island]See : Treasure mystery (young adult and teenorientation). These scripts can be easily adapted to a particularlibrary and the clues modified depending on the holdings of thatlibrary. Or they may be used as a template for developing an entirelydifferent mystery. The book is indexed, and the resources section provides links tomysteries hosted by other libraries, thereby providing even more ideas.It is a handy reference for library staff involved in publicity andoutreach as well as those looking to create entertaining active learningevents for teaching library skills or introducing special collections In library science, special collections (often abbreviated to Spec. Coll. or S.C.) is the name applied to a specific repository within a library which stores materials of a "special" nature. ornew services. Used as an ideas starter, the range of possibilities islimed only by imagination. Helen Dunford Tasmanian Polytechnic