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One of the biggest questions for research libraries is how to bring new students into the building and help them engage with the available resources. This is particularly true for a large academic library, such as Davis Library on UNC Chapel Hill’s campus, which is often perceived as a large, intimidating building for first year students. Throughout the five years that the First Year Seminar (FYS) Scavenger Hunts at Davis Library have been running, the need for putting the user first and allowing them to fully experience the library in an exploratory and experimental environment has been reinforced. The extensive data collected continues to show that such outreach is an effective means of connecting to new students and helping them find their place within the library. Some of the pertinent findings from the data reveal that students are eager to return to the library to research, use its resources, and study. This demonstrates that such an initial interaction in the library provides new students with a solid foundation that encourages them to return. Presenting the library in this way to new students emphasizes the continuing presence of the library in the life of the student. I will present the impact of the scavenger hunts through the short-term assessment data we have collected. I will also share and present the methods and outcomes of our initial long-term assessment program that began this spring.
