Chapter 5: Be Our Guests: Creating Unique and Inclusive Library Experiences

The enhancement of technology and online access for libraries continues to be encouraging and convenient for all libraries and their patrons. However, there is so much that can be missed if we limit access to just online. Academic libraries offer key learning experiences and information that have become vital to its patrons, which can be missed if we are not being intentional about how we engage and interact with our patrons. Information literacy skill is identified as a key lifelong learning skill. This finding makes encouraging patrons to visit the library more important and yet challenging. This chapter will share some ideas and ways a small academic library increased their patron visits and usage of all resources by inviting patrons to “be our guests.” Creating various ways to invite patrons in to learn and have an enjoyable experience sets the tone for how the library will and can be used for the rest of the patron’s life. The quote by Charles William Eliot states that “The library is the heart of the university.” Just like the heart sustains life, the library sustains the need for lifelong learning. Librarians have the opportunity to be intentional about how we encourage and create access to information that will keep our patron’s moving toward academic success and the information literacy skills needed to become lifelong learners.