For many students the prospect of successfully utilizing an academic library can seem overwhelming, and with that in mind, the Egan Library recently hosted an unprecedented open house event as an antidote to the insidious ailment no one likes to talk about, “library anxiety.”

 “For many students, the beginning of the school year might be the first experience they have to use an academic library,” said Wendy Girven, the Public Services Librarian at the University of Alaska Southeast. Girven further explained that the Sept. 16 open house was scrupulously planned with the intention of “breaking down the anxiety for both new and returning students” by providing a fun atmosphere designed to introduce users to the concept of an academic library as an attainable resource.

Library technology has evolved rapidly, with online resources replacing the little gray-haired lady and card catalogue of days gone by.  Resources like ebook, eBrary, ILLiad and Refworks are handy tools and timesavers for the students who know how to use them.

“Who doesn’t love online material and the opportunity to access information from the comfort of your own living room?” Girven quips.

While accessing contemporary scholarly materials has an entirely different protocol than standard web searches that many people do not utilize these resources to their potential because they are either not aware of their existence or else they find the technology confusing and intimidating. 

 “There is an availability of nearly forty thousand ebooks online for UAS students that can be evaluated immediately.  This is something you cannot access through Google because it’s not comprehensive for academics,” Girven said. 

Girven is the brainchild behind the open house, crediting her previous experience working at the Penn State Library, where she claims they hosted a similar event that focused on a more proximal student body. 

“The UAS student body has a distance component that had to be figured into the event,” Girven said, and therefore this open house incorporated streaming classes and a virtual tour accessible online for a week. 

For the open house, the library staff devised a trail through various information stations marked by color-coordinated balloons. Stops along the way included the reference desk, media services and the Learning Center with additional stations that introduced students to Google Tools, printing and IT and the variety of online resource programs.

Students collected stamps after completing each of these stations and turned them in to be eligible for the prize drawing, the grand prize being an iPod shuffle. Along the way there was additional incentives including chocolate, mood pencils, highlighters, a bevy of writing implements, sticky pads, trading cards and laptop-shaped foam de-stressors.

The open house also featured carving and basketry demonstrations, a tour of the Library’s native art collection and Guitar Hero on the big screen hosted by UAS’ gaming club.

Considering that more and more people are obtaining their information from non-human resources, Girven reminds us that “Face to face interaction is priceless.  We are here all the time to help and are happy to serve the academic community at UAS.  We are here to help you figure everything out!” 

Student feedback on the event was very positive. According to staff, over 200 people attended and everyone learned something and a good time was had by all. 

In the event that you missed this years’ open house you can still access the online tour by visiting the website, http://www.uas.alaska.edu/library/open-house/index.html. You are otherwise encouraged to stop by and talk to personnel at the reference desk where your library anxieties will most certainly be assuaged by supportive staff that rarely exhibits their “shushhhhhing” powers.