CREDIT: JENNIFER DOEDE
The Fanshawe 50th anniversary exhibit will take place in the library until Sept. 29.

Here are some details about an ongoing event at the library, as well as one of the exciting events that has previously taken place this month.

Fanshawe 50th Anniversary Exhibit

Until Sept. 29, the Fanshawe 50th anniversary exhibit will be on display in the library, which showcases items from the college's archival collection. The exhibit is a collaborative project between Fanshawe library archivist Tammy Pulinec and Dawn Gratton, assistant to the senior manager of library and media services.

Pulinec explained in an email interview that some items from the college's archival collection include course description flyers from 1973 to 1976, yearbooks from 1982 and 1983 and a slideshow illustrating moments from Fanshawe's history from the 1960s to present day.

Some of the items specifically from the library's collection include old due date cards, book cards, floppy disks and a VHS camcorder.

CREDIT: TONY ONORATO. The library hosted an escape room on orientation day for students.

“One of our biggest archival finds came this summer when Dawn and I travelled to York University to retrieve archival items that had been donated to them by our first President, Dr. Colvin,” said Pulinec. According to Pulinec, one of the items from the College's archival collection retrieved from York University is a patch with Fanshawe's first logo on it.

Gratton explained that her favourite items from the exhibit are the photos from the slideshow. “[In the slideshow] you can see how much has changed at Fanshawe over the past 50 years. The campus, the décor and even the fashion of staff and students.”

There is also the “Cheers for Fifty Years” contest open to students, faculty, staff and alumni as part of the exhibit. To enter the contest, individuals must write down what item from 2017 they would put in a time capsule. “We want everyone to feel like they are a part of Fanshawe's history so we are asking participants to tell us what they would put in a 2017 time capsule that would be opened fifty years from now in 2067,” Gratton said. According the Gratton, some of their favorite answers will be posted to the library's Facebook and Twitter social media pages. The winner will be announced on Oct. 2 and receive a $50 Fanshawe campus gift card.

Escape Room

Mary Ryan, the reference specialist for Library and Media Services, explained that the library was tasked with coming up with something new and fun for students that would help introduce them to the library. The library team chose to set-up an escape room for orientation day. “It was diffidently a team effort and I would say the escape room was very successful,” Ryan said. “[A lot of the library staff] participated [in putting together the escape room] between putting in the ideas, writing the plot of the story and bringing in all the props and everything else we needed.”

The story behind the escape room revolved around Freddie the Falcon kidnapping the library's bookworm. The first clue given to participants was a ransom letter written by Freddie the Falcon. Teams were allotted 15 minutes to solve all the clues.

According to an official library statement, regarding orientation day, 21 groups (approximately 70 people in total) challenged the escape room throughout the day. Of the 21 groups, only four groups managed to unlock the last clue. The library statement also revealed that the fastest escape time of the day was 10 minutes and 47 seconds.

“We found the escape was just challenging enough,” Ryan said.

Ryan explained that everyone who participated in the escape room received a chocolate bar, regardless of whether they solved the final clue in time or not.

“A lot of the feedback we got from the students was that they really enjoyed the escape room. They liked reading about all the information that was in the room and just had an overall great experience.”