Talk given at the BOBCATSSS 2015 conference - http://www.bobcatsss2015.com/. During the May of year 2014 Zadar Public Library was accommodating project titled „Harry Potter Week“. It was designed and organized by students of the Department of Information Sciences from University of Zadar, in collaboration with professors of the Department and librarians from Zadar Public Library. Every day of the week had different activity connected to Harry Potter – either books or movies. Manifestation was free for library users and everyone else who was interested in it.

1. From idea to realization: Project Harry Potter
Week
Katarina Mandić and Drahomira Cupar
Department of Information Sciences
University of Zadar
Bobcatsss 2015

2. Introduction
• Libraries always had the potential to support creative activities
(Techman, 2014)
• They can contribute to the institution's community through events,
displays, and exhibits (Goldsmith & Fonseca, 2008).
• It is important to organize events in library that would draw attention of
the users and engage them in library activities

3. Zadar Public library as a place for cultural
events
• Mission of the Zadar Public library - bring information, knowledge and
culture to the inhabitants of the city of Zadar and Zadar County (Pavičić,
Alfirević & Aleksić, 2006)
• Basic goal of the Zadar Public library – to be recognized as the cultural
center of the city (Pavičić, Alfirević & Aleksić, 2006)
• This paper will describe „Harry Potter Week” project that was held in
Zadar Public library during the May of year 2014

4. Design of the project
• This project consists of 4 phases
• First phase of the project - refers to its design
- first idea - make a project related to the famous fictional places from books
and literature
- after talking to advisor, it was decided to start with something more simple
and related to only one book
• Second phase - finding partners for the project
- Main partner - Zadar Public library
• Third phase - finding sponsors
- Algoritam publishing house
- printing and copy center Grafos
- Department of the Information Sciences
- Zadar Public library

5. …
• Fourth phase - final preparations of the project
- making questions for games and quizzes
- creating decorations for Children’s Department of Zadar Public library,
(e.g. flying keys, the Mirror of Erised, a poster with interesting facts,
letters from Hogwarts etc.)
- informing public about the event

6. Poster of the manifestation
Author: Mladen Masar

7. Monday 19th of May– 1st day
• Workshop “How to make an owl” was held at the Children’s Department
of the Zadar Public library
• The participants were pupils of the private primary school “Nova” and
children of the kindergarten “Loptica” (including one student from the
Department of Croatian language)
• To participants were read chapters from the first Harry Potter book in
which Hedwig, his owl pet was mentioned
• Owls were made of empty toilet paper rolls and collage paper in white,
brown, silver and gold colors
• In the afternoon hours, the first sequel of the Harry Potter movie series
was shown in the Mediatheque

8. „How to make an owl” workshop

9. Tuesday 20th of May – 2nd day
• Book quiz was held in the library Multimedia Hall
• Questions were related to Harry Potter books
• There were qualifications before the quiz in order to select four
participants that would take part in quiz and win one of Harry Potter
books
• Books were provided by Algoritam publishing house
• Quiz was followed by board game Harry Potter pictionary
• The game was attended by preschoolers and pupils of the elementary
school

10. Book quiz (questions)

11. Book quiz (event)

12. Pictionary
Sources:
- Pictionary board. URL: http://www.planszomania.pl/image/pictionary_board2.jpg (13.01.2015.)
- Pictionary categories. URL: http://wac.450f.edgecastcdn.net/80450F/943thepoint.com/files/2013/03/pictionary-1.jpg
(13.01.2015.)

13. Handmade Harry Potter pictionary
categories

14. Harry Potter pictionary (with participants)

15. Drawings of the participants

16. Wednesday 21st of May – 3rd day
• The movie quiz was held in the library Multimedia Hall
• Also had pre-qualifications
• Questions related to the movie and actors who embodied many
familiar characters from the book
• The winner was also awarded with book from Harry Potter series
• Wizard’s chess - took place in the atrium of the library

17. Movie quiz (questions and the winner)

18. Wizard’s chess

19. Thursday 22nd/ Friday 23rd of May – 4th and 5th
days
• The writing workshop was held in Children’s department of the library
• Participants were given two characters, two locations and two spells from
the Harry Potter books, on which they wrote short stories
• Their works were later exhibited on the main board of the Children’s
Department
• In the afternoon, the second part of the movie – Harry Potter and the
Chamber of Secrets was shown and the next day, the third part was
shown, also in Mediatheque
• Friday was the only day that didn’t have any activities, except for the
screening of the movie

20. The writing workshop

21. Saturday 24th of May – 6th day
• Last day of the project
• An improvised Quidditch was held in the library Multimedia Hall
• Participants of all ages
• Three matches played among Slytherin and Gryffindor teams
• Municipal company Čistoća borrowed their brooms so that
participants could play mentioned game

22. Quidditch

23. Promotion and decorations
• The project was announced on Facebook, Zadar Public Library
website, Algoritam publishing house website and in the media
• Apart from selling Harry Potter books for prices reduced by 20%,
Algoritam also offered other science fiction and fantasy books for
lower prices
• During the project, the entire Children’s Department was arranged in
the atmosphere of Harry Potter books

24. Decoration of the Children’s Department

25. Decoration of the Children’s Department

27. Instead of conclusion
• Collaboration with sponsors/partners for this project was successful
• Librarians and teachers helped in the design and implementation of the
project
• The response in public to events within the Harry Potter Week was
excellentt
• The plan is to continue with the same event in March 2015
• We are planning to make more collaboration with schools, kindergartens
and other institutions if possible and do more activities, other than
Quidditch, Wizard’s chess, quizzes and Pictionary

28. References
• Carney, J. J., & DeMitchell, T. A. (2005). Harry Potter and the Public School Library. Phi Delta
Kappan, 87, 159-165. doi: 10.1177/003172170508700212
• Chatterley, T. (2012). Harry Potter Magically Transforms the Health Sciences Library at the University
of Alberta. Feliciter, 58, 47-49.
• Čičko, H., Križanić Delač, Đ., & Stričević, I. (2006). Knjižnične službe i usluge za djecu u hrvatskim
narodnim knjižnicama: razvoj, stanje i perspective. Vjesnik bibliotekara Hrvatske, 49, 22-36.
• Goldsmith M. U. D., & Fonseca A. (2008). Beats and bongos: making the library the cultural center of
academe. Thibodaux, LA: Nicholls State University.
• Harris, R., Mayo, A., Prince, J. D., & Tooey, M. J. (2013.) Creating shared campus experiences: the
library as culture club. J Med Libr Assoc, 101, 254-256. doi: 10.3163/1536-5050.101.4.005
• Jelušić, S., & Stričević, I. (2010). Knjižnične usluge za mlade: modeli i koncepti. Vjesnik bibliotekara
Hrvatske, 53, 1-34.
• Pavičić, J., Alfirević, N., & Aleksić, LJ. (2006). Marketing i menadžment u kulturi i umjetnosti. Zagreb :
Masmedia.
• Techman, M. (2014). Supporting creativity in school libraries. Knowledge Quest, 42, 28-30.
• Vodič kroz znanje o upravljanju projektima (4th ed.). (2011). Zagreb : Mate : Zagrebačka škola
ekonomije i managementa.

29. Contact
Thank you for your attention!
• For further information please contact me
Katarina Mandić
kmandic@student.unizd.hr or
katarinamandic3@gmail.com
29