No Muggles in the Library Tonight! Harry Potter Night at an Academic Library

LIBRARY TRENDS, Vol. 61, No. 4, 2013 (“The Impact of Gaming on Libraries,” edited by Scott Nicholson), pp. 814–824. © 2013 The Board of Trustees, University of Illinois Abstract This article describes how an annual Harry Potter Night program fits into a college library’s mission. The literature shows college and university libraries are already accustomed to supporting their campus communities’ academic and cocurricular needs. Harry Potter Night at Lycoming College is an engaging experience. For one Friday night a year, the college library transforms into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry through food, decorations, and music. The central events are variations of trivia games and two obstacle courses, one focusing on Voldemort’s horcruxes and the other focusing on the Sorcerer’s Stone. These games and simulations are critical to creating an emotionally immersive as well as a multisensory experience. The attendance for this program has ranged from 30 to 100 students (on a campus of approximately 1,400), and the enthusiasm has been immense. This program has led to positive attitudes toward the library and valuable publicity in campus publications and has strengthened the library’s relationship with the college Residential Life office.