The library, with its diverse spaces and collections, is managed by librarians who are deeply involved in planning, organizing, and providing services. They are uniquely positioned to observe and understand users' needs, identify information access challenges, and think of ways to help overcome these obstacles, ultimately enhancing the quality of information services.

Real escape game activities, which integrate real-world scenarios, involve observation, collection, reasoning, association, and organization. These activities attract participants and have become popular among many players. Incorporating such activities into library exploration plans not only promotes the library and increases visitation and usage rates but also teaches users how to effectively access information. Moreover, librarians can use the insights gained from planning and executing these activities to better understand user needs and design more tailored library services.

For librarians, the entire process—from ideation and planning to observation and improvement of the game—serves as a valuable tool for problem exploration and resolution. This proximity to users fosters a better understanding of their needs, creating a positive feedback loop that enables the planning of more user-centric services.

Leap Library

In 2018, the library organized the "Leap Library" event for freshmen, using a real escape game approach to help first-year students familiarize themselves with the library and its services. During the puzzle-solving process, participants learned about the library environment and resource-finding methods. The library planned 16 different task lines, and participants used clues from the puzzle packs to find the corresponding QR codes. Scanning these QR codes to complete the tasks constituted mission success.

Freshmen could form teams of 4-5 members and register at the circulation desk to receive a "clue bag." By completing three sets of clues—"Explore the World/Leave a Legacy," "Career Skills/Make Friends," and "Reflect on Life/Learn to Speak"—participants could win prizes from a gacha machine. Each class had the chance to draw a lucky team to receive an early bird prize of a 500 NT dollar gift voucher, and the class with the most participants could enter an additional raffle.
 

National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism's Library Wins Two First Prizes at the 2018 Library Annual Meeting