By JESSALYN KIRCHHOFF
Tiger Media Network
The Main Floor of Forsyth Library is the place to be on Wednesday from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. From a Chocolate & Cheese Fondue Bar to a Virtual Reality of Paris – the “City of Love,” Forsyth has something to offer everyone at their Valentine’s Day extravaganza, Fond-of-U.
On top of the fondue bar and VR of Paris, the library will also be offering a Blind Date with a Book, the HPL Bookmobile, Victor E. Valentine E-Cards, Book Page Flower Crafts, DIY LED Valentines, Blackout Poetry, Massages, and Live Music. Library Engagement Specialist Anna Towns said this came to life from the successful ‘Crafternoon’ event in the Fall 2023 semester, which featured several stations for students to explore.
“We wanted to do another event that offered a variety of things for students to explore – so there is a bit of something for everyone,” Towns said. “The purpose of this event is to have a fun way to bring students together to celebrate Valentine’s Day. The event is something that can be enjoyed alone, with a friend, or a date.”
Similar to the Crafternoon event, Towns explains this is the first time Forsyth is hosting this event, and there’s a possibility that it could be the last.
“As we move forward with the planned renovation, we know things will look different for a couple of years, and we will likely be leaning on campus partners for this kind of interactive event,” Towns said. “This might be your only chance to experience Fond-of-U, but library resources are always available to you.”
Towns explains how the event highlights many partners across campus, some that will be together once the library renovation is complete (INMS, MakerSpace, Writing Center) and some that will not (Massage Therapy).
The Institute for New Media Studies (INMS) will have a virtual reality experience where students can explore Paris on Google Earth with a VR headset. The video will have the feed displayed so those in the area can also see the sights of the “City of Love.”
INMS will also have an area where students can make a digital Valentine to send to a friend that features Victor E. Tiger sending them a special message.
Additionally, the MakerSpace will have a DIY station to create a Valentine that features an LED light feature, the Writing Center will oversee Blackout Poetry (where you take a book page and mark out words so that the words left create a poem), and Massage Therapy students will be giving chair massages (roughly 10 minutes) to allow as many people as possible the chance to have a massage.
“There will also be Live Music that will be mostly provided by “Those Guys from Victoria” which includes spouses of two library staff members along with some friends from the Jimmy Dee band,” Towns said.
Amongst all of the partner connections and their multiple offerings, the library will be providing cheese (queso dip) and chocolate (chocolate fountain) fondu options, Blind Date with a Book (romance, self-care, etc. books that are wrapped so you can’t see the title/author, but will have a brief description, and be available for checkout), DIY Book Flower crafts, and displays of Valentine’s Days from the past.
“Shoutout to Kaden, Mars, and Sarah – we have a great team of Student Employees who help with many of the details for large events like this,” Towns said. “We are also thankful for the many partner programs who are helping to make this a fun event with something for everyone.”
Overall, Towns said the library is increasingly excited to get students into the library to experience the fun applications of practical programs they may not be aware of and extends a warm invitation for everyone to attend.
“Hopefully, they can de-stress and enjoy the afternoon while finding support for their academic endeavors as well,” Towns said. “There really will be something for everyone, so bring a friend, or come make some new ones, and just relax for a bit.”
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