How to play?:
The aim of the game is to promote the library, to introduce the library space in an active and entertaining way. In the library’s escape the room, players have to guess - task by task - how they can escape from the library space, based on the information crumbs provided. A puzzle consists of three parts: the first part is the instruction itself, telling the players what information to look for, the second part contains the information crumbs, details, basically the essence of the library escape room, and the third part shows where the
next envelope is. The puzzles are based on school readings, youth literature and popular works of the wider Hungarian consumer culture, fairy tales, TV programmes. The riddles can be solved using the whole library space and general library book search and information etrieval techniques/practices.
Skills improved
Navigating skills within the library, teamwork, problem solving, logical thinking, communication and mediation, time management and pressure control.
Background
The game was launched at the Hungarian National Library Days of 2019. The first library escape room took place in the space of Csorba Győző Library, Pécs. At this event, a total of ten teams played in the library and literature focused escape the room. Then in 2021, also as part of the Hungarian National Library Days, 9 teams played the game. As a result of the positive feedback, the Csorba Győző Library has started to develop further escape rooms, which now offer several thematic games for visitors of the library..
The creator
Ferenc Molnár obtained a master’s degree in library science in 2022. Until then, he was a member of the CASSI escape the room development team, designed several rooms, and processed their methodology and testing results in his research and presented them at the National Scientific Students’ Associations Conference. Currently he’s working at the Music Archive of the Csorba Győző Library in the Library and Knowledge Centre, Pécs. His tasks include running the escape the rooms on the library bus and at the Knowledge Centre.
