Hunt Library’s efforts to raise awareness are sweet

To thank the student population for enduring the construction in Hunt Library over the semester, University Libraries and Undergraduate Marketing Organization gave out 1,000 cupcakes on Thursday to students in the library.

In addition to the free food, there were trivia questions about the library’s many resources. Students had the chance to win a Google tablet if they answered these questions correctly.

The cupcakes came as a welcome gift at a point in the semester where most students spend too much time holed up in Hunt worrying about their finals. The pastries were certainly popular: Although the library staff advertised that the cupcakes would be available between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., they ran out of cupcakes well before six.

But beyond offering free sugar, staff at the event tried to inform students about the library’s resources, both in Hunt and online. The trivia questions challenged students to learn more about the online databases on the library’s website and the different roles that the librarians play. The library staff was on hand to answer whatever questions students had about the library and its recent changes.

As students, we spend plenty of time in “Club Hunt,” but the library is more than just a study space. The librarians are ready and willing to teach students how to best utilize the myriad of resources available, but too often students do not use them. Our tuition money goes toward getting access to hundreds of online journals, research databases, printed materials, and the librarians who are there to help us; we might as well put that money to good use.

So, if you grabbed a cupcake on Thursday and didn’t know the answers to the trivia questions, why not take the time to find out? Those resources might make studying for exams or writing your final papers a lot easier. The librarians would, of course, be more than happy to help you start using them.