The Seattle Public Library says it has shattered the world record for the longest book-domino chain.
Two college students teamed up with the library to coordinate a winding chain of 2,131 books with the help of 27 volunteers who consumed 112 slices of pizza during the seven-hour process last Friday, according to the library.
The first four tries brought heartbreaking glitches, including the fourth try failing "about 10 books short of finishing", according to Amy Twito, the library's youth program manager.
"There were lots of shouts of jubilation as it got near the end, and then a lot of groans," she said, adding the team, by that point, had gotten "really fast at setting the books back up after each failure."
But the fifth try, attempted around 11 p.m., finally brought success. A video released by the library shows the attempt being carried out seamlessly as each of the books fell in a row, part of which spelled out the word “read.”
"Everyone was jumping up and down, hugging and shouting," Twito said.
The previous record of a 1,000-book domino chain had been set by a group in the U.K. in 2011. Confirmation of the new record was pending.
The event marked the launch of the library's Summer Reading Project. Books used in the domino project can be purchased at the upcoming Friends of The Seattle Public Library book sales.
Seattle natives Luke Greenway and Laura D'Asaro collaborated with the library for the project.
