Today’s college students have grown up using the Internet to fulfill many of their research and social needs. Many are completely unaware of the wealth of sources and help accessible at a small school or public library, much less the even greater variety of specialized research material available at an academic library. Librarians need to help students discover the depth and breadth of information available in physical library buildings, while also showcasing the warm, approachable personalities of librarians.
To draw students into the library, DePauw University librarians present workshops with themes based on popular television shows. While the focus is on socializing, friendly competition, and having fun; students also engage in critical thinking, gain experience using library resources, and practice working as a team. Most importantly, students come to see librarians as creative and friendly people whom they feel comfortable approaching for help in the future.
This poster shows examples of our highly successful workshops based on “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” and “Survivor.” Librarians will come away with ideas about how to plan workshops based on their own favorite television programs or the latest pop culture phenomenon.
Investigate the Library Poster (This is a single, rather large PowerPoint slide. To view it properly, right-click and save it to your computer, then open it using PowerPoint.)
Workshop Descriptions and Sample Questions