There are things that I'm good at. And, of course, there are things that I'm not good at. But, then there are the things that I think I SHOULD be good at, but I'm just not. Like breakout rooms, for example. I like puzzles, and I like to solve problems. I'm pretty good at that. So, why for the life of me, can I not find my way out of a breakout room?
I've done a few breakout rooms, and I think that they are so fun. I overthink things so much that the people who sit in the room, the ones who are available to provide clues, actually laugh at me. Yet, I feel like every time I've done a breakout room, I've left with ways that I can improve upon my skills for the next time.
For example, listen VERY carefully to the instructions you receive when entering. Listen to them twice, or even three times. I applied that to my next breakout experience, but that time the instructions weren't even instructions. There were no hidden clues, not even red herrings. I wasted precious minutes listening three times to Dr. Candice Bore talk about how I needed to save the planet. And I did not save the planet.
Second, just because you use a tool once to retrieve a clue doesn't mean that you won't ever use it again. I applied that to the following breakout experience, but that time I really did only need to use the black light flashlight once. I spent 30 minutes shining that flashlight on every blasted thing in the room. And the only thing I learned is that the walls are clean.
I guess the main thing to remember is to just have fun. We expect that lots of people will have fun in the library's Harry Potter Breakout Room which we will have set up for groups to try on October 28 - 29. Be sure to call 778-7527 to reserve your timeslot. I hope you fare better than I usually do.
Lynn Hobbs
PCL Director
