Fresh to the campus, our first-year students started their academic journey by exploring the learning resources, spaces, and services available through the Library, Museums and Press. Many curious students marveled among the book stacks in Morris Library. Among them, Haley shares her enjoyment of being in the library space, saying, “I photographed the aisles of books, because I just thought that composition-wise the image was really strong and it really leads your eye in. I think the [text] at the bottom connects a lot to reading and this whole project, because your eyes did a lot for you while going through each task.”
Another student shares a similar experience by writing a haiku. The student explains that this is a haiku related to experiencing the Morris Library: “the skyscrapers are meant to be the bookshelves which seem to stretch eternally, because of how large the library’s collection is. The bookshelves contain books with lots of information in them, hence ‘skyscrapers of intellect.’ Also, the library is usually very silent, explaining the last line.”
While some students expressed their interest in the library spaces, students like Gabrielle Frasier and Conor Mullin show their appreciation for library services. Frasier's infographic highlights the resources available at the Morris Library. She explains: “throughout [the self-guided exploration of the Library and Museums], I learned that Morris has a lot to offer and is a very useful tool and study spot for me, and other students at UD.” According to Frasier, she likes the idea of “traveling through the tour and seeing all the ins and outs that both Morris and Mechanical Hall had to offer.” Likewise, Mullin expresses his enjoyment of the library with a collage artwork showing two different areas of the library. “I loved the ask a librarian feature,” he explains, adding a screenshot from Ask the Library in the center to complete his creation.
Many students created art reflections based on different resources available in the library. Ethan Berkman connects the main theme of the Common Reader to library resources. Berkman designs a movie poster as if “Global Warming” is a film, emphasizing “the future we are heading towards” while reminding others about resources related to environmental issues in the library’s Film and Video Collection. Another student was passionate about the “SOLAR ONE” project in the Special Collections exhibition. The student stated, “I drew the [SOLAR ONE] house because I thought it was so cool UD took the initiative and built a solar house!”
Even as first-year students, passionate library users like Brooklyn Harden and Abigail Young have already started conducting research projects. Harden’s drawing focuses on children’s nutrition by depicting the five categories of food that children need for a balanced meal. Harden suggests that “parents need to say less of ‘eat this,’ but instead say ‘try this.’ Children will most likely be open to trying healthier foods for themselves instead of feeling obligated to eat something they don’t want to. Parents need to make their children feel like they want to eat healthier food, and need to be more proactive in their children’s diet.” Young's poster features quotations she found through research and a photoshopped picture captured on North College Avenue. She adds the hurricane in the sky to portray the topic of this project: hurricanes and their relation to global warming.
Finally, students appreciate the effort of the Library, Museums and Press to keep everyone safe and healthy. A student captured the amazing artwork created by library staff, saying, “ I was impressed with the safety precautions around the Morris library. I created this image to emphasize the library’s efforts to protect the flock and keep students safe.”
