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Bird Library launched Undergrad Nights this semester, a series of events that offer students a few ways to destress while also learning about the benefits the library has to offer. The first event was on Sept. 26.

Kelly Delevan, the university’s Information Literacy Librarian, created the series in partnership with Information Literacy Scholars, who are graduate students at the iSchool pursuing a master’s in Library and Information Science.

Information literacy is an important facet of university libraries, with an emphasis on teaching students skills to access and engage with digital information, Delevan said. But many times, students only see libraries as study spaces, and don’t know how to employ the array of resources there.

Library staff and MLIS students personally understand the importance of having a space to relax after a long day of classes. The popularity of the lower level for evening sessions inspired the group.

“We wanted to harness that energy and open our instructional space for students to take some time out from studying to de-stress, and maybe get some help along the way,” said Delevan.

The event on Sept. 26, for example, featured an assortment of board games with programming focused on the library’s Special Collections. As the name implies, special collections feature materials that stand out in some way, whether that be in terms of age, print or condition, Horsford said.

These collections are housed on the sixth floor, with staff working to maintain the condition of the rare items, like learning how to handle fragile material to prevent damage. Sean Horsford, a second year MLIS student, demonstrated how to browse the Ted Koppel Collection, which contains 6,600 episodes of the investigative reporting series Nightline.

Horsford, whose background is in film, fostered an appreciation for digital preservation and paved a pathway to his involvement at Bird — he realized his experience with film libraries wasn’t all that different from caring for books and special collections.

This event series gave aspiring librarians like Rachel Hogan and Chloe Guedalia, both graduate students and Information Scholars, the opportunity to share what they wished undergrads knew about Bird Library, they said.

“A major thing I wish people knew is all the different things that we have here that aren’t books,” said Hogan.

William Gore, another Information Scholar and a first-year graduate student, wants students to realize a library’s full potential.

“Hopefully people start to use the library for more than just research or academic reasons because there’s so much more that libraries can do,” Gore said.

Undergrad Nights will be held throughout the semester in the Electronic Training Center of Bird’s lower level. The Information Scholars encourage students to stop by to learn more about library resources while enjoying fun and snacks.

“One of my goals is to make librarians and the libraries seem more welcoming because we really want to help people,” Guedalia said.

Published on October 3, 2022 at 10:20 pm