'Best puzzle collection in the world'

Puzzle enthusiasts from around the world gathered at IU this week to celebrate the grand opening of the newly refurbished Slocum Puzzle Room in the IU Lilly Library. Serious enigmatologists and library visitors alike can now view the exhibition and test their wits by trying to complete the puzzles themselves. \n"Confounding and delightful, precise and whimsical, the puzzles selected for this exhibition represent centuries of mathematical, social, and recreational history from across five continents," wrote Jillian Hinchliffe, Lilly Library curatorial assistant, in the Jerry Slocum Collection guide, "A World of Puzzles." \nThe Slocum Puzzle Room will showcase about 400 pieces from Jerry Slocum's immense puzzle collection, which he has donated to IU. The entire collection includes 30,000 mechanical puzzles and 4,000 puzzle-related books, as well as the historical files used by Slocum to research the books he has authored. \nSlocum's collection, which he has spent 65 years building, is regarded as "the best puzzle collection in the world," said Hinchliffe.\nMost of the mechanical puzzles on display are either put-together, take-apart or interlocking. Some examples in the Slocum Puzzle Room are displayed in the concealed drawers of specially-created tables that are puzzles themselves to open. Highlights on display include the "impossible" soda bottle pierced by an arrow and a carved ivory Chinese Ring puzzle. Even some of the seemingly-simple puzzles include elaborate designs that prove puzzles can be more than child's play. \nSlocum, who is now retired from his career as an aerospace engineer with Hughes Aircraft Co., has been fascinated by mechanical puzzles since childhood. He was introduced to puzzles by a gift from his father -- a puzzle brought home as a souvenir from the 1939 World's Fair. \nAt the age of 10, Slocum used his weekly allowance of 25 cents to buy a mechanical puzzle known as Chinese Rings. The puzzle consists of a series of circular rings which must be removed from a rod. Completion of this particular puzzle cemented Slocum's puzzle love. \n"I worked and worked at that puzzle, probably for a couple weeks," Slocum said. "When I finally solved it, I had such a sense of satisfaction to have solved something this difficult." \nAs his interest deepened and his collection grew, Slocum began to have what he called a "long-term vision" for his puzzles. He recognized that in addition to its entertainment value, his extremely large collection could serve as a resource for education and research. He decided to donate his puzzle collection to a place that was both a serious research institution and open for public enjoyment. \nSlocum began the search for a destination for his collection 13 years ago. He considered many esteemed institutions, including the New York Public Library and the Smithsonian, but the IU Lilly Library impressed him with its open facilities and attentive staff. \n"Lilly came out ahead," Slocum said. "Their collections are very well protected and they also met my criteria for ease of access." \nAs with all collections at the Lilly Library, any of the pieces from the Jerry Slocum Collection may be checked out and observed in the library's Reading Room, said Hinchliffe. \nTo show Slocum that his puzzles would be prized at IU, Lilly Library officials asked department heads throughout the University whether or not such a collection would be used. Several departments responded with a resounding "yes," and one upcoming fall semester course is already scheduled to use the collection. \n"Puzzles motivate people to learn by having fun," Slocum said. "Once they have fun, people wonder -- What other puzzles like this can I solve?"\nSlocum's friend, fellow puzzle enthusiast and IU alumnus Will Shortz visited his alma mater to celebrate the exhibition opening. Shortz turned his love of puzzles into a college major and then a career: he earned a degree in enigmatology -- the study of puzzles -- from IU's Individualized Major Program and is now editor of The New York Times crossword puzzle, NPR Puzzlemaster and star of the recent documentary "Wordplay." \n"People sometimes don't take puzzles seriously," Shortz said. "But they train the mind to be observant and foster mental flexibility." \nThe Lilly Library, one of 18 libraries on the IU-Bloomington campus, houses IU's collection of rare books and manuscripts including more than 400,000 books, 130,000 pieces of sheet music and about 7 million manuscripts. \nThe Lilly Library is open to the public and admission is free. Regular hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Lilly Library tours are offered at 2 p.m. each Friday. More information about the Lilly Library can be found on its Web site, http://www.indiana.edu/~liblilly/.