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Welcome back students!

Come explore Camp Alden as we trek through all seven floors of Alden Library on a scavenger hunt and earn a free t-shirt; grill late-night sā€™mores on the patio; take in a game of cornhole toss or a few putts on the mini-golf preview;  and create some wearable art with our button making stationā€”all in celebration of Alden Libraryā€™s 50th birthday. This event is free and open to the OHIO community. 

Held Wed., Sept. 4 from 8 p.m. to midnight on Alden Libraryā€™s fourth floor, Camp Alden is back by popular demand. Some may remember the first time, in 2017, when the Libraries were kicking off the 24/5 opening of Aldenā€™s fourth floor.

Joey Walden, library support specialist for User Services, who worked the event in 2017, fondly remembers the reactions of some international students eating sā€™mores for the first time:

ā€œThey had no idea what it wasā€¦Some people loved it [and], some people said ā€˜Oh, this is really sweet!ā€™ You know [how it is] the first time having a sā€™more, which is just sugar, chocolate and graham crackers. It was fun seeing their reaction.ā€

This year the Libraries is doing something a little different than 2017ā€”they are adding a scavenger hunt.

ā€œThe scavenger hunt is so sneaky, just because you have to go to the different floors to learn a little bit about [what] each of the floors [offer]. Like knowing the different layout of everything, or finding CoLab, and stuff like that. I just thought this is really cool,ā€ explains Walden.

A 2016 alumnus of OHIO, who completed two masterā€™s degrees while working as a student employee at the Music and Dance Library, Walden understands first-hand how daunting it can be for new students coming into Alden Library.

ā€œWhen I first came over here from Music and Dance, I was terrified just because of the size of the operation. And I think the [Camp Alden activities] will help break the ice a littleā€¦If you have something fun [to do], I think it helps tear down that fear of ā€˜Oh no, I donā€™t know what I am doing.ā€™ It helps make you feel a little more able to explore.ā€

The scavenger hunt, the brainstorm of Amanda DeLong-Carter and Jacob Jakuszeit, overnight library support associates, and Jen Harvey, events coordinator, is set up for students to explore Alden Library using clues that help demystify the seven floors and maybe learn somethingā€”in a fun way.

One of those ā€œfunā€ clues will lead students to the zero-gravity chairs, which not only finds students enjoying their studies seated on these chairs but, sometimes, the Librariesā€™ staff as well.

ā€œI am a HUGE fan of those chairs. I have sat on them, and I love spinning on them occasionally. It is kind of scary at first, but it is a lot of fun. I was surprised at how comfortable they are,ā€ said Walden.

So, be sure to stop by on Sept. 4 for an evening filled with food, fun and games.