Camels, Contests, and Coffee: Getting First Year Students Through the Doors

Abstract

Find where we hid the “Hump Daaaaaay!” camel. Stop in for free coffee and donuts. Submit an original haiku for our annual haiku contest. These are just a few of the ways staff at Miami University Hamilton’s Rentschler Library have engaged first year (and other!) students. Come hear about these and other programs and events we planned to bring students into the library and let us show the services and materials we provide to make their college experience more successful and enjoyable. Learn about our partnership with the campus Student Activities and Orientation Office and our active participation in the Student Orientation and Registration (SOAR) program, Fall Fest and Spring Fling events. We’ll also discuss our work with the Hamilton City School District introducing local K-12 students to information literacy concepts and the Miami University Hamilton Library. Finally, we’ll share some “opportunities” we have for expanding our outreach to our campus’ first year students, most notably, a revived involvement in the course EDL110 “The University and the Student.”