parks and recreation

"Parks and Recreation" renamed Lafayette College's Skillman Library after its main character, Leslie Knope, on Tuesday's finale.

("Parks and Recreation" Image)

Did you spy Lafayette College's library featured Tuesday on the "Parks and Recreation" finale?

The NBC comedy used Skillman Library but added the words "Leslie Knope Library" in honor of the show's main character.

Lafayette College's Twitter feeds were abuzz with mentions from "Parks and Recreation" fans who made the connection after Tuesday's show.

Without giving away too many spoilers, the clip has Leslie Knope speaking to the graduating class at Indiana University. The year is 2035 and she's speaking as a two-term governor for the state.

The college surprises Knope, or actress Amy Poehler with two gifts - an honorary doctorate and the college library named in her honor.

I can't repeat Knope's comments, but you can watch the full clip below.

Kylie Bailin, Lafayette College Library's Director of Outreach and Access Services, says the whole thing was "completely out of the blue."

Skillman Library has received a few awards since its 2004 renovation, says Kylie Bailin, the library's Director of Outreach and Access Services.

A former reference student assistant contacted Bailin Tuesday night after seeing the show. Bailin says since she posted a mention on the college library's Facebook page early Wednesday, it's been viewed 8,000 times, despite the page only having 915 followers.

Bailin's not sure how Skillman Library got plucked for use in the show. She has a few theories though.

Since its 2004 renovation, the library's earned several awards which could have prompted pictures of the building to show up in a Google search. It received the Excellence in Academic Libraries award from the Association of College and Research Libraries in 2014.

Last year the college also celebrated Skillman's 50th anniversary, releasing photos from the course of the building's history. The fact that the college maintains a Flickr feed with publicly available images, might also be a factor.

Either way, the mention on "Parks and Recreation" seems to be a positive one.

"It made me feel really proud," Bailin says.

It's not the first time Lehigh Valley school buildings have shown up on national TV with new names. Remember when Pen Argyl School District's Plainfield Elementary was renamed Hot Pocket Prep by Jimmy Fallon?

Kelly Huth may be reached at khuth@express-times.com. Follow her on twitter @LVLfood. Find Lehigh Valley Food on Facebook.