By Gabe Guerrero
For those who may not be able to travel to Egypt to unearth a mummy, or use adventurous spirit to complete a GPS scavenger hunt, the Harold B. Lee Library is making that possible.
Checking out books, receiving help with research papers and quiet study time are often reasons to visit any library. However, BYU’s library offers hundreds of other services — many of which will be on display at their first services fair. On Thursday, from 10 a.m to 2 p.m., various library services will have booths throughout the third floor giving students and faculty a greater idea of the library resources available for use. And don’t worry about missing lunch, there will be cookies in the snack zone.
Cyndee Frazier, media center unit manager, discovered how little knowledge some patrons have about the library.
“Some of the students just don’t know what we have here,” Frazier said. “Surveys showed the lack of knowledge, so the library decided to act on it.”
Centered on the theme “Did you know … ,” participating reference desks and services have selected a few under-utilized services expected to add to scholars’ use of the library.
Cierra Nye, the library’s public relations assistant, said this is all an effort to better inform.
Those in attendance can participate in a GPS and custom map-making activities. Visitors can also learn how to convert personal video tapes to DVDs thanks to the multimedia lab.
“Many students bring their old VHS tapes and transfer them to a digital format as a present for their parents.” Frazier said. “What a great way to preserve memories.”
Frazier said the library is also adapting to new technologies.
“We will have several iPads, iPods and Kindles there, if anyone is interested in figuring out how they work before purchasing them,” Frazier said.
Another effort being made is that of debunking erroneous information, such as who can visit Special Collections — which is anyone — and discovering where a real Egyptian sarcophagus is located.
The multimedia lab will share video production equipment available for checkout as well as inform scholars about photo and video editing classes offered.
Public relations student Steven McCall said he enjoys taking advantage of the programs offered by the library.
“I needed to use a projector and the library helped me out,” McCall said. ” It was a great tool to be able to work with my team and finalize a project.”
For family history buffs, the Religion and Family History booth will demo their newest scanner that allows patrons to digitize and preserve photos, documents and journals.
Other participating groups include the media center, access services, the copyright licensing office, the writing and research lab, art in the library committee, as well as the juvenile collection, music, periodicals and sampler desks.
