What would you do in the wake of a Zombie invasion?

“We wouldn’t last three days if something did happen,” said Katrina Townsend, a circulation clerk from the Austin Public Library.

October has always been known as a month of awareness, from breast cancer and being a vegetarian to domestic violence and diversity.

However, the University Hills branch of the Austin Public library is making sure that Austinites do not forget the most important danger of all—zombies.

Throughout the month of October, the library is hosting its second annual Zombie Fest. This year’s event has proved to be even more successful than the last. So far this month, visitors have attended screenings of zombie films every Saturday, and participated in a zombie book club. The next event will be a House of the Dead video Game tournament on Saturday October 24th.

But the fun only escalates on Halloween with the Zombie Blow-Out. The event will feature Jeopardy, games, a costume contests, an art show, an “Are you a real Zombie?” contest, survival discussion, and zombie refreshments.

So, why a Zombie Fest? “We try to make reading fun,” said Michelle Beebower, youth librarian at the Austin Public Library.

The movie showing on October 10 had roughly 50 people, ranging from families to teens and even younger kids, many of whom walked out the door with an armful of zombie books.

The library focuses a lot of its efforts on making these programs intergenerational. There are video games, movies, and costumes for the youth, while the older patrons hold adult in-depth discussions. The program’s coordinator, Billy McConnell said the program provides kids with something fun and educational to do on Saturday.

It also gets people to come in and look around. “Everyone is surprised at how many videos we have, as well as comic books and Manga,” said McConnell. Needless to say, the Austin Public Library has found an unconventional way to give community members young and old an appetite for reading.