New York Public Library To Hold Overnight Scavenger Hunt

What's gotten into the folks at the New York Public Library? Last week they became the first public library to launch a Foursquare badge and now they've scheduled an overnight scavenger hunt for May 20. A what?

Five hundred gamers (working in groups of 8) will be selected to play “Find the Future: The Game” in which they'll walk around the 42nd Street building at night, explore the collections on display and solve 100 "quests." These missions will be delivered via a mobile app and will require players to find certain areas in the library and scan QR codes to prove they were there.

The challenges are designed to encourage players to explore and reflect upon the objects from the library’s collections. A player might be tasked, for example, to scan a QR code located at the Declaration of Independence, and then respond to a creative essay prompt. Once enough quests have been completed, they will be “unlocked” for the public, who can begin playing the game online May 21.

Anyone interested in participating can go to nypl.org/game to complete a “top secret” entry. Judges will invite the authors of the 500 most “innovative and creative” submissions to the event.

From the following video, it looks like the event will be one part Indiana Jones and two parts National Treasure.