- Image via Wikipedia
I suppose this is what you call community engagement? Watch as the New York Public Library and Improv Everywhere reenact the opening scene of the movie Ghostbusters:
This stunt was to raise awareness of the funding crisis at the library:
NYPL faces a $37 million City budget cut — the harshest in its history. Visit dontclosethebook.nypl.org. to WRITE NOW to elected officials, then text “NYPL” to 27722 to donate
A one-time donation of $10 will be added to your mobile phone bill or deducted from your prepaid balance. You may also receive up to 4 messages per month from NPO Alerts. Msg&Data Rates May Apply. All charges are billed by and payable to your mobile service provider. Service is available on most carriers. Donations are collected for the benefit of The New York Public Library by the mGive Foundation and subject to the terms found at http://www.mGive.com/A. To unsubscribe text STOP to 27722, for help text HELP to 27722.
Presumably, those texts only work in the US. But that shouldn’t stop you from donating to your local library, should it?
And look: Improv Everywhere has a book! Causing a Scene: Extraordinary Pranks in Ordinary Places with Improv Everywhere
Related articles by Zemanta
- Ghostbusters called in over case of libraries’ disappearing funds (guardian.co.uk)
- Back Off, Man, We’re Comedians: ‘Ghostbusters’ Re-enacted at New York Public Library (artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com)
- Improv Everywhere: Ghostbusters in the NYC Public Library (neatorama.com)

If there was more room somewhere in the library, maybe a flash mob dance to perk things up.
As a side note, I did work in a library where the historic, heritage building does have a story or 2 about a wandering ghost.
The Carnegie? I know SO MANY people with stories about the ghost there. I wrote a short story about it once. A friend of mine was chased down the stairs by the ghost, terrified.