University Libraries to hold annual open house

Penn State University Libraries will host a fun, interactive open house from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sept. 15 and 16, in Pattee, Paterno, and all branch libraries at University Park. Students can enter to win grand prizes, including Dell laptops, free textbooks for a semester, a football signed by Joe Paterno, an HP iPAQ 11 Classic Handheld and more. Graduate students who participate can enter to win a special drawing for a $100 gift card to Staples.

Penn State memorabilia and school spirit will fill the Libraries during the two-day event that will feature fun, educational activities and will acquaint students with Libraries services and collections.

New this year is the addition of an alternate reality game that will begin on Sept. 15 and continue for one week. Students playing the game will solve in-person and online puzzles using library resources in an attempt to solve a mysterious event that takes place in Pattee Library. Penn State students who follow the clues and solve all of the “quests” correctly will be entered to win a laptop. Any Penn State student who completes the game will receive a white, long-sleeved Penn State shirt.

One of the largest and most successful library orientation programs of its kind nationwide, the Penn State Libraries’ Open House has been running since 2001 and attracts more than 3,500 students each fall. Student feedback from the event is highly positive, with more than 90 percent of students indicating that they would recommend the open house as a useful activity for other students to attend.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit http://www.libraries.psu.edu/openhouse/ online.

Find the Nittany Lion at the Open House Credit: Wilson Hutton / Penn StateCreative Commons

Last Updated November 18, 2010