Most University of Michigan students are well aware of the boundless opportunities offered by the Library within the pages of our books and in the depths of our digital resources. What may be unfamiliar to students are the numerous opportunities to engage with the Library beyond the stacks and databases. The Library Student Engagement Ambassadors, a group of eight undergraduate students with varying majors and interests, have been hard at work all semester bringing the campus community exciting events and a student perspective on Library resources.
Party For Your Mind
Every year the Library kicks off Fall semester by hosting an open house called Party For Your Mind. There are lots of things to do like palm reading, scavenger hunts, and mini-golf. This year, the Student Engagement Ambassadors hosted a “Write a Postcard Home” table. Students were able to send a note home to a family member or friend telling them about their first few days at Michigan. Pictured below is a photo of the beloved Michigan squirrels on our postcard.
Fruit Orchestra
The Ambassadors hosted a Fruit Orchestra Lobby Table at the beginning of the semester to bring awareness to our group and have a little fun with science. Different Fruits were attached to circuit boards and when touched would play all sorts of fun sounds right through our computer!
Free Headshots with the University Career Center
Did you know that the UGLi has its own media production room? The Career Center took over the Winberg Media Production Studio on the first floor to offer a free professional headshot for students. The Ambassadors offered tips for professional dress and made sure everything ran smoothly so students could get the perfect shot to enhance their LinkedIn profiles.
Zine Making with Special Collections
A zine is a self-published, small-circulated, often politically focused mini-magazine usually made by one person or a small group. The Ambassadors put together a zine-making workshop with the help of Special Collections in Hatcher. Librarians from the Labadie Collection pulled a variety of locally made zines for students to explore and get ideas to create their own!
Hot Chocolate Bar and Coloring
Nothing warms you up on a cold winter night like a nice cup of hot chocolate. What’s even better is customizing your hot cocoa with a variety of sweet treats. The Ambassadors set-up sprinkles, marshmallows, candy canes, caramel sauce, and of course whipped cream for students to design their perfect cup of cocoa! We also provided fun winter themed coloring pages to help give students a mental break from all the pre-finals studying.
Button and Card Making with Therapaws
Our last event of the year is always a favorite. Therapaws: Therapy Dogs of Michigan, came to the Library to give students a much needed break from cramming for exams. To add a bit more fun to this event, the Ambassadors set up a button making and holiday card making station for students to utilize while they were waiting to pet the puppies. Students had a blast creating their own unique buttons that can be used on a backpack, coat, or pinned to a bulletin board. Nothing makes studying better than crafting and cuddles from our four legged friends.
Social Media
Have you followed the University of Michigan Library on social media? If not, you’re missing out on some awesome posts and announcements from the Library Student Engagement Ambassadors. The Ambassadors work to bring the student voice to the Library and social media has been a great platform for the student voice to shine. Make sure to like and follow our social media pages to stay in the loop! (FB: University of Michigan Library, Twitter: @UMichLibrary)
This semester was jam packed with lots of fun things for students to do at the Library. Be sure to follow the University of Michigan Library on Facebook and Twitter for announcements about our future projects. The Library Student Engagement Ambassadors be back next semester with engaging events to help you feel more connected to the Library and its amazing resources.
Have a great Winter Break!