Over 500 visitors :
at the first Night of the Libraries

The first nationwide Night of the Libraries took place on Friday, 04 April. The two locations of the University, State and Public Library (HLSB) in Fulda were open until midnight. In addition to a colourful program, visitors were able to discover the rooms on their own, take a look at the exhibition room, take part in a treasure hunt, browse the book flea market and linger in the rooms.

At the Campus and Heinrich-von-Bibra-Platz locations, several guided tours showed the library from a new perspective. The Library of Things information stand exhibited some of the items (e.g. hot glue gun, travel adapter, cordless drill, spirit level, energy meter) that can be borrowed free of charge in addition to the various library items. "With the Library of Things, the University supports the UN's sustainability goals and offers items for loan that are not used on a daily basis," said Berthold Weiß, Deputy Director of the HLSB.

In the Children and Young Adults Department, there was a picture book cinema followed by a craft activity. The Children's Academy in Fulda, a long-standing cooperation partner of the HLSB, creatively staged shadow pictures with children and young people. The "Pen&Paper" format took place for the first time. The children, aged 8 to 12, slipped into the role of a wizard or sorceress and created an exciting story together. At the same time, parents and other interested parties learnt how to design and lead such role-playing games. "Role-playing games support children holistically: they strengthen team spirit, imagination and logical thinking. STEM topics can also be discovered in a playful and child-friendly way. As a library, we want to show how easy it is to get started - with simple rules, a little AI support and no previous experience," reported Head of Digital Services Frederik Stey.

There was also the opportunity to role-play on campus. Under the title "The Publishing Trap", participants slipped into the role of researchers at various career stages and playfully addressed the question "Where and how should I publish my research?". Another highlight at the Campus location was the true crime reading by Daniela Petersen. The author and journalist read three cases from her books Tatort Osthessen. Questions were asked after each case and a lively exchange took place.

Finally, thanks to the city of Fulda, which made it possible for those interested to enjoy a short tour of the city between the locations Heinrich-von-Bibra-Platz and the library of the Faculty of Theology at the Cathedral.