UPDATE: The Ghost Hunting 101 class is now sold out, according to library officials.

Many say books are history’s way of speaking to us, so what better place than the library?

Voices beyond the books can be heard as Denise Roffe, co-founder of the Southeastern Institute for Paranormal Research, leads a Ghost Hunting 101 class in the Gainesville library Feb. 6.

“The class is two hours, and then there is an hour and a half of actual investigation, which usually happens in three groups that go to preappointed places in the library that stay there ... to see what they can see, hear and feel,” said Gabriele Koecher, library assistant and event coordinator. “Then everyone gets back together … and exchanges information of what happened.”

The class will be from 5:30-10 p.m. at the Hall County Library’s main branch at 127 Main St. NW in Gainesville. The non-refundable fee is $5 with a reservation deadline of 4 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29. Late registrations cost an extra $3.

During the class time, Roffe will speak on a history of different kinds of hauntings.

“We also cover psychical research ... we bring in evidence that was captured through the years,” Roffe said, making the class accessible to skeptics and believers alike.

Roffe is a nonfiction paranormal writer, who has traveled to many cities to hear lore, conduct scientific investigations and sift through archives to find the true stories. She has been to the Gainesville area multiple times for paranormal investigations, specifically to the library on occasions in the past.

On such occasions at the library “the most obvious (encounters) have been sounds, and certain people can feel certain emotions,” Koecher said.

During the February session, Roffe and her SIPR group will present and demonstrate the scientific equipment they use during their investigations as well as offer oral history and data.

“We have full-spectrum camera, a forward-looking infrared camera and a digital voice recorder,” Roffe said, listing a few of the instruments she and SIPR team members will bring.

“They identify and basically harvest the data they get out of their instruments,” Koecher said.

During the investigation portion, class members will walk through the library, and pause to conduct an Electronic Voice Phenomenon voice session, Roffe said.

“(It is) with the hopes of catching anything on our recordings,” she said. “EVP … is primarily what we have in the library.”

During the Feb. 6 session, the library will be closed to the public. Participants should arrive between 5:15 and 5:30 p.m. at the library.

“In the past, there have been some experiences that would not necessarily be good for kids,” Koecher said.
Therefore, the class is for adults ages 18 and older.

Call 770-532-3311 ext. 114 to register.