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Harry Potter - Days of Magic Celebrations

Days of Magic

Many libraries are drawing out their festivities over several events. Horning says that “youth services librarians [can] use their creativity and their own knowledge of the communities they serve to enlist local experts to join the celebration.” With more than a week separating the release of the new movie and the new book, there’s time for lots of wizard-worthy public programming.

Note: Response to ILoveLibraries.org's original story about Harry Potter themed library events was so great that we've continued to collect links to individual programs that have taken place or will take place in the coming weeks. Items added after the original release of this article are marked with a red "NEW!" If you want to share your library's events, visit the ILoveLibraries.org "Libraries in the News" blog and add your event to the comments.

• The St. Joseph County Library in South Bend, IN, is planning seven days of exciting activities. Among other activities, “Wizard Crafts” will be available in the library’s meeting room all week, and previous Harry Potter movies will be screened every day.
• The Louisville Free Public Library in Louisville, KY, is offering various opportunities for young J.K. Rowling aspirants to flex their writing muscles. There will be a writing contest to predict the end of the new book, as well as patron-written articles for the library’s own version of The Daily Prophet. Pre-release events include a teen Tri-Wizard Tournament, a broom-decorating party for all ages, trivia contests, a potion workshop, a scavenger hunt, and more. They even have their own Harry Potter Blog, at http://blogginaboutharrypotter.blogspot.com/.
• The Cuyahoga Public Libraries in Ohio are offering activities at nearly all their branches. Trivia contests, book discussions, movie screenings, and craft projects are among the many things planned for the days prior to the movie and book releases.
• The Fairfax County Public Library in Fairfax County, VA, is running activities both before and after the new releases. Prior to the new book and movie, they’ll be offering discussion groups and a film festival; after the release, a costume party, a wizard band rock concert, and more thoughtful discussion about the true meaning of the Harry Potter phenomenon.
• Billed as “Harry Potter and the 7 Course Banquet,” the festivities sponsored by the Austin Public Library in Austin, TX will be made of seven days of themed activities – one for each book in the series. Take part in Wizard’s Chess, magically themed snacks, map-making, palm-reading, and other activities during this week of Potter fun.
• NEW! The Galesburg Library in Galesburg, IL, enjoyed plenty of fun activities, including librarians dressed as the teachers from Hogwarts.
• NEW! The Williamston Library in Lansing, MI, will host a birthday party for Harry Potter, including a drawing for copies of the new book, on July 31.