By Megan Good
Students have been back on Bluffton’s campus for nearly a month now. February is a relaxed month for students. The librarians and other staff members of Musselman Library invited students to come show off the projects they have been working hard on at this year’s Celebrate the Library week.
The event started in 2014 and has become an annual event on campus. Celebrate the Library week is a way for undergraduate students to show faculty, staff, other students and members of the community the projects they have been working on for a class or outside of class. It is also a way for students to share their internship experiences with others.
“We wanted a way to raise awareness of the space, resources and services available to students here in the library,” said Carrie Phillips, archives and special collections librarian for Musselman Library.
Monday, Feb. 1 kicked off the week with a teach and learn conversation for faculty and staff. This event showcased collaboration efforts being made by some of the faculty and staff at Bluffton to improve experiences in the classroom.
Tuesday there were two events held in the library as part of the celebration. The first event was the alternative forum presentation by Meg Short. During her presentation, Short reflected on her role as part of a Bluffton journalism team that covered the 2015 Mennonite Church USA convention held in Kansas City, Missouri.
The second event was Five Minutes of Fame. Eight students who were nominated by a professor in their field of study presented on their research, internships, or creative works. Each student was given five minutes to interest and inform the audience on their topic. The presenters were Beth Ross, Sarah Dhondt, Sarah M. Luersman, Micah Hunsberger, Carly Schweier, Kenny Beeker, Megan Good and Sam Stucky.
On Wednesday, the library reading room hosted the Health and Wellness expo. Students had posters and infographics with information from iron deficiency and cauliflower pizza to information about the healthiest part of a pig to eat. Many of the students brought samples of food for viewers to try.
50 students presented on research, creative projects, and internships they had experienced during the biggest event of the week, the Research Fair. The topics were broad and varied. Each participant, or group of participants, was nominated by members of the faculty.
Megan Croyle, who presented her group project on dreams, said, “[The Research Fair] is a great way to show off my group’s project”.
Celebrate the Library Week closed with coffee, tea and donuts for breakfast Friday morning. It was open to everyone on campus.
This week of festivities and student involvement is a good way for students to learn what their peers have been working on. The library often hosts this annual event during the first week of February.
“We are student focused and here to help students succeed,” said Phillips.
