As the fairy tale-themed escape room began, students stepped away from classes and other responsibilities to enjoy meeting new peers and fostering their Halloween spirit.

With four unique puzzles, students worked together to solve riddles and practice skills to navigate the library resources and services.

“Welcome trapped travelers of Quinnipiac. You believed this was merely an ordinary afternoon. How delightfully naïve. You opened a tomb you should have left undisturbed. And in doing so, your team triggered an ancient vengeful curse,” said the video presented to students at the start of the challenge. “Unless you break the spell, you and your teammates will remain trapped forever. The clock is ticking, my foolish friends. Work together, trust your team and escape the storybook before the final page is turned.”

These were the last words the students heard before the 50-minute timer began to count down.

The first puzzle presented the students with a series of riddles to help them identify books and then sort them by their call numbers, encouraging students to use their creativity and reminisce about their favorite childhood fairytales, all while learning about the library catalog’s organization system.

As students moved through the room to find keys and clues, the eerie lighting and Halloween décor created a spooky atmosphere for the escape room.

The students also proceeded through archived articles from The Quinnipiac Chronicle, the student-led newspaper, and explored clues hidden within years of the university’s history.

Students finally searched through the library database for clues that gave them the secret code to escape the room and emerge free from the storybook they were trapped in.

This experience was more than just a fun challenge for the participants.

Chase Casper ’29, MOT ’31, said the event reminded him of fulfilling childhood memories.

“Growing up, every year on my birthday, my aunt and uncle would take me to an escape room,” he said, “Since I haven’t been at home in a bunch of years, I haven’t been to an escape room in years. It was really fun to do one again.”

Eve Behrens ’27, DPT ’30, also appreciated the unique creativity and care that went into the activity.

“This event was such a great break from academics, especially right after midterm season,” she said. “It combined practical skills of researching the library catalog with making connections with other students and enjoying a fun afternoon activity.”

Oliver Robertson ’28, MSW ’30, also enjoyed the break from academics.

“I would recommend it to another student,” he said. “It was a lot of fun, and there was a lot of thought and care put into it.”

The event was organized collaboratively by Research and Instruction Librarians Katie Kukiolczynski and Kevin Redline and Reference and Instruction Librarian Rebecca Toolsidass. They began planning this event since the spring semester.

“We were talking about it over the summer and brainstorming ideas,” said Kukiolczynski. “We were originally trying to do a clue game, but it kind of evolved into this, and then we each just took a puzzle and worked on it.”

Kukiolczynski also said she hopes students realize that the Arnold Bernhard Library is more than just a place to study.

“The library is a fun thing,” she said. “We do more than just books and academics, but there’s also just having fun.”

The three organizers said they are grateful for Kathy Martin, access services assistant, for her support in providing decorations used for the event.

The group is applying to present the activity at the American Library Association conference in New Orleans in June 2027.

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