Spooks in the Stacks! This Friday, October 30th

We're now just four days away from Spooks in the Stacks! We've got a full program planned for this Friday, October 30^th, starting at 7:00 p.m.

Birmingham Paranormal will be at the library to present the spooky sounds and activity they've documented in King House and Main Hall. Walking tours of the campus will take visitors directly to the sites of some of the school’s most famous ghost stories. Finally, the library will conduct a costume contest with prizes provided by the Montevallo Chamber of Commerce.

For those planning to participate in the costume contest, please plan to be at the library at 8:00 p.m. Judging of costumes will take place at that time and contest participants must be present to win.

Thanks to the UM Office of Public Relations, the UM Office of Student Life, and Montevallo Chamber of Commerce for their help in publicizing this week's event.

Spooks in the Stacks! October 30th

For the second year, Carmichael Library will be open late for a special Halloween event that we call Spooks in the Stacks! The thrills and chills will take place Friday, October 30^th from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. The library is located at the corner of Highland Street and Bloch Street on the University of Montevallo campus. Attendance is free.

We've got an exciting, educational, and largely new program lined up so even if you joined us last year, you won't want to miss this special night of Carmichael Hall hauntings. Birmingham Paranormal will be on hand to play recordings of the paranormal sounds and activity they've documented in King House and Main Hall. Walking tours of the campus will take visitors directly to the sites of some of UM’s most famous ghost stories. Finally, the library will host a costume contest with prizes provided by the Montevallo Chamber of Commerce.

Spooks in the Stacks! is sponsored by the Montevallo Chamber of Commerce and the UM Office of Student Life.

Stay tuned to this blog (or our Facebook Fan Page) for more information as the night before Halloween approaches. In the meantime, mark the date and plan to join us on October 30^th--if you dare!

Photo and graphics: King Family Cemetery by Joel Bullock

Heatherly, Hanbury Interviewed for Shelby County Reporter Story

With less than three and a half hours until our Spooks in the Stacks event tonight, what better time to read a story about UM's ghosts? Amy Gordon of the Shelby County Reporter interviewed Carmichael Archivist and Reference Librarian Carey Heatherly for a timely feature story. Also quoted is our Archives student assistant Dallas Hanbury.

This story appeared in the Reporter on October 29, 2008.

Spooks in the Stacks Is Almost Here!

If you've been following our blog this week you may have seen our Spooks in the Stacks countdown clock in the sidebar. Soon it will be less than 24 hours before the haunting begins!

Don't miss us tomorrow night starting at 7:30. Witness the thrills of Carmichael Hall and enjoy our new take on one of UM's longest running traditions: the retelling of ghost stories. Also happening tomorrow night:

- Meet members of Birmingham Paranormal, who will be on hand to play sound clips of the spooky activity that they've recorded in UM's King House.

- Observe the work of Dr. Eric Vaccarella's Spanish students in the library foyer. Ten ceremonial altars are now on display as part of the library's annual Day of the Dead celebration.

- Watch an episode of "Real Scary Stories" that aired in the year 2000. The show was taped in Main Hall and other campus locales and later aired on cable television.

- Peruse original documents that our librarians have located in the University Archives, including some of the papers that concern Montevallo's legendary ghost stories. You'll be able to look at these real relics on the library's Ground Floor.

Lastly, be warned that we've got a couple of surprises that we're not going to reveal until you walk through the doors of Carmichael Hall. Tomorrow night, enter the library at your own risk!

Spooks in the Stacks, October 30th

On the night before Halloween, Carmichael Library and the University Program Council (UPC) will bring you plenty of spooks! We'll have readings of Montevallo's legendary ghost stories and we'll show a Real Scary Stories episode that was filmed on the UM campus and later aired on national television. The Birmingham Paranormal group will be on hand to demonstrate the paranormal sounds and activity they've documented in King House. Our annual Day of the Dead display will be visible in the library foyer. Refreshments will be served. On Thursday, October 30^th at 7:30 pm join us at the library, if you dare!

Special thanks to the UPC for co-sponsoring this event! If you'd like, you can RSVP for Spooks in the Stacks on Facebook.

Photo by Joel Bullock