Just a few days ago, on September 23, 2014, my Honors Freshman Seminar class met in F111 with the other Honors Freshman Seminar classes to complete an activity together. We played a game called “Scavenger Hunt,” where we were given clues and went into the library to find the object described. A week earlier, each class had to create one (or more if you wanted) clue that would describe a book, movie, cassette, CD, etc. that was located in the library. The catch was, we had to find a book, movie, etc. that had to do with our main concept in class: Food.

At first, I thought that this was going to be easy and that all I had to do was find a cookbook or something similar. However, we had to find a book that had to do with food, but was not an actual cookbook. This made things a little bit trickier. My first plan of action was to go to the internet and research books that had food as a main topic, but were not cookbooks. There were so many and I was really surprised that I have not heard more of the titles, since many were bestsellers. My next plan of action was to go to the library’s website to see if they had some of the books, but I came back empty handed. Next, instead of searching on the internet first, I went right to the library’s website and typed in key words. I did not type in“food,” though, but specific words like “Martini, Cannibalism, and Recipes.” I came out with a handful of books to choose from. In my class, my teacher, Professor G.T. Lenard, asked us to write down five clues for five different items that were in the library. After I found three great, somewhat challenging books that the other students would have to spend time finding, I decided to actually go to the library and look through some of their movie collections to find two more items to put on my list. I walked up and down the isles, reading the titles until I found two that had food as their main topics. I copied them down and then in class, handed all of the clues in. The next class we would meet in F111 and go to the library.

After using the library’s website and actually looking through some of their selection, I had a better understanding of how to use the library and how to find things without the librarians help. I know that they are there to help the students, but it is great to know how to do things on your own. When we started the scavenger hunt, I was placed in a group, picked my clue, and was on my way trying to find the specific book, movie, or other item that was in the library. First, I went to the computer and looked up some key words that were in the hint that I received. After scrolling through a few pages, I finally found the book and copied down where it was located in the library. After asking the librarian where my section was located and waiting for my friends to find their clues, we went upstairs together to a room I never even knew existed. I found my book, which was called “The Italian Way,” copied down the information I needed, and headed to find my friends’ books. After finding all of the books, we headed back to F111.

This activity was actually really fun and I learned more about the library than I’ve ever known before. I’ve discovered rooms that I have never even knew existed and I know that there are still more rooms to explore. I cannot wait to be able to go back and just walk through the whole library to see what kind of items they have in stock. After this activity, I can confidently say that I know how to find books and other items in the library without the librarian’s help.