An amusing notice crossed my inbox recently, inviting the community to a Social Hour at 5:30 today in the Ginn Library.  The weekly Social Hours are a time when students, along with faculty and staff, come together for a little eating and drinking, and a lot of conversation.  (Prospective students can join in following the Admissions Information Sessions each Thursday, starting next week.)  Most of the Social Hours take place in the Hall of Flags, which already makes the Ginn Library venue a little unusual.  But the invitation goes further, inviting us to break (almost) all the library’s usual rules.  According to the notice, Ginn — staffed by librarians and tech experts who usually endeavor to maintain library decorum — will,  for one hour, be the site of:

Food!
Brazilian BBQ from Oasis Brazilian

Drink!
Ca$h Bar

Swag!
From representatives of Tufts organizations (GIS, Tufts Online, Scholarly Communications, ESTS, etc.)

Exhibitionism!
Beatles Rock Band

Gambling!
iPod Shuffle and other prizes raffled amongst rockers (see above)!

With food, drink, swag, exhibitionism, and gambling in Ginn Library, the message is clear:  for one hour this week, community trumps research and assignments.