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Bayli Berry is the access services specialist for the Kodiak Public Library. On a recent Tuesday, she set the scene and laid out the escape room rules before my team gave it a go.
“You and your partner are mining for gold in the mountains. When you strike it big a massive gold nugget. Your partner insists on keeping it safe, he starts acting very suspiciously and keeps the gold nugget locked up. He just stepped away from camp and said he’ll be back in one hour, now’s the time to find the gold nugget and escape,” Berry said.
The Kodiak Public Library’s escape room is not a room that you literally have to escape from. It’s a room which contains hidden puzzles and obstacles that participants solve to reach an end goal- which in the library’s case, is stealing a large nugget of gold.
Berry has been on the lookout for new activities to bring parents and children to the library. She designed the escape room and put it together.
“I do enjoy escape rooms a lot, and I’ve done them kind of all over the world. But to build this escape room for the library, I consulted with other libraries who have done escape rooms, and how to set them up. Basically, you start at the end, and then work your way backwards on the puzzles that you want people to solve,” Berry said.
The library asked that I be nonspecific in my description of the puzzles to keep it fresh for newcomers. But I can say that it has a healthy dose of Alaskana theming, and provided my team with a decent challenge – while still being something that children could handle. My partner and I finished with a record completion time of just under a half an hour – and we welcome anyone to try and beat it.
The escape room is now into its second official week. It’s free to the public, and those interested in participating can make a reservation with the library. The escape room is very small, so teams of no more than three adults are recommended.