An academic year of celebration for the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries and their five major anniversaries comes to a close during LoveFest, with an activity every day of the week of April 13-17. Help celebrate 80 years of Love Library South and 50 years of Love Library North by joining in on one or more of the events listed below. All details can be found at the LoveFest webpage.
April 13-17 | Ping Pong | Love Library South, second floor
Ping Pong like it is 1942! A ping-pong table will be set up on the second floor for anyone to use during the entire week. Paddles and balls provided. Challenge your friends or start a tournament. Before Love Library was a library, it was a home for army cadets that lived, studied, and played in the building during World War II. We offer the table in homage to Love Library’s past and the army cadets.
5:30-7:30 p.m. April 13 | Music and Mocktails: Flyover Satellite Concert | Love Library North, second floor
Students from the Glenn Korff School of Music will perform a Flyover Satellite Concert of new compositions inspired by their experience and interaction with materials from the Archives and Special Collections. Join us for the concert, light refreshments and the Libraries’ signature mocktails. Watch the video below where the faculty from the Archives selects materials from the collection in preparation for the student composers.
2-3:30 p.m. April 14 | Retro Games and Coffee | Love Library South, Peterson Room (221)
Calling all gamers — come enjoy classic consoles and laptops for emulating retro games. From Legend of Zelda to LSD: Dream Emulator, and Dr. Mario to Donkey Kong, drop in and play any time. Staff will be present to demonstrate how to back up your cartridge games and save files to preserve them. Coffee and cookies will be served.
2:30-4 p.m. April 15 | Toward an AI Commons for Libraries: Where We Are and Where We Might Go from Here | Love Library South, Auditorium or on Zoom
Benjamin Charles Germain Lee, an assistant professor in the Information School at the University of Washington and founder of the Lab for Computing Cultural Heritage, is the UNL Libraries 2026 Visiting Scholar. He will present on the state of the artificial intelligence field with a focus on efforts to apply AI to library collections. Informed by his own research on “computing cultural heritage” and teaching focused on cross-campus AI literacy, he will reflect on future directions for this collective work, and how libraries are uniquely positioned to contribute to the development of AI systems while also embodying library values through experimentation and even refusal. See the calendar entry for more information.
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 16 | A.I. and Ice Cream | Adele Coryell Hall Learning Commons, behind Dunkin' Donuts
Enjoy free Dairy Store ice cream and join us for a judgement-free discussion about how you're using AI, sharing what excites you, concerns you, and where you think AI is headed in the future. Library staff and faculty will facilitate this conversation. There will be no presentation, lecture or agenda — just open and curious minds.
11 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 17 | LoveFest on the Lawn | Love Library, south lawn facing R Street
Relax and join the fun with LoveFest on the Lawn. Enjoy a free charcuterie-style box lunch in individual containers on blankets spread out on the lawn. Play lawn games provided by Campus Rec and the Lincoln Children’s Museum. Sample of games: giant Jenga, jumbo Tetris, lawn bowling, oversized checkers, ladderball, washers, and cornhole.
The Libraries will provide a cart of books (fiction and literature) leisure reading. Food provided for 250 people by Dining Services.
In case of rain, event will be held on the second floor of Love Library South and the Link.
2 p.m. April 17 | Primal Scream | Love Library, south lawn facing R Street
Scream your lungs out. The Dean of the Libraries will lead us in this coordinated, cathartic release of academic stress by screaming as loud as we can. In case of rain, this event will be moved to the Link.
Events are open to all. No registration necessary. Visit the online itinerary for more information. Look back on the year of celebrations: Pages to Paths: A Celebration of Our Libraries
