Posted: 10/22/09
McIntyre Library is hosting a contest this month for Halloween, called “Getting a Stake Through Your Heart.” Students are asked to submit their love horror stories through a discussion board on Facebook.
It’s supposed to be fun; it’s supposed to be humorous,” said Reference and Instruction Librarian Eric Jennings. “. A lot of this stuff happens to all of us.”
The idea for the contest came around because of a few responses to last year’s “How I Met My Valentine” contest, Jennings said. A few students liked the idea of last year’s contest but wanted something more open to those who are single.
Fellow librarian Kati Tvaruzka thought of the idea of an “Anti-Valentine’s” contest, he said, something that would work well for Halloween.
The contest is meant to be a fun activity to get people interested in the library, Jennings said. It’s not supposed to be a way to complain or rant.
“It’s not meant for calling anyone out if you had a bad date,” he said. “It’s for fun.”
Submitted stories will be judged by the library staff, and the student who has submitted the top story will be awarded a $50 gift certificate to a restaurant in town, Jennings said. He added that a few runners-up will also receive prizes, although those prizes haven’t been decided on yet.
Sophomore Alexis Delve saw a flyer for the contest in the library elevator and was intrigued by the idea. “Everyone’s had their heart broken,” she said, “so I think that’s kind of interesting how they’re trying to put it in a softer light.”
Delve hasn’t submitted a story yet, but she plans to soon. “I want a chance at that . gift certificate,” she said, “because then some good can come out of something bad that happened to me, and maybe somebody can learn from my experiences.”
Following this month’s contest, the library hopes to continue with these sorts of activities in the future.
“We’re just trying to do things that are not traditionally done in the library,” Jennings said, “. to break that stereotype of the library.”
As of Tuesday, there were no submissions to the contest, but entries will be accepted until Friday, Oct. 30. Rules and more information can be found on Facebook.
