ARLD Day 2026

Many new undergraduates enter college with vague preconceptions of academic libraries, namely that they are “book warehouses” and places for quiet study. Students also find library buildings intimidating and are often unaware of, or confused by library services. While new student orientation events and welcome week programming support students during their transition to University life, there is frequently a significant gap between the time a student first encounters the library and when they need to utilize its resources.

Librarians and library staff at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities have attempted to reduce this gap by creating a variety of co-curricular touchpoints where undergraduates can explore library services, spaces, and collections in fun and low stakes ways. Through our popular reading collections, partner events, and wellness programming, we are able to meet students with a variety of backgrounds and experiences, and help them recognize that they have a place on campus and in the academic community. These fun and wellbeing-focused activities occur in an academic setting, but reinforce that the balance between academic work and pursuing their own interests is essential to success throughout students’ college experience and beyond. For example, we can promote why it is beneficial to read for pleasure at a reading party event and promote our academic services at the same time.

In this session, we will share our “secret sauce” of scalable strategies for getting the most impact out of low stakes events at any sized institution including planning details, day of success tips, examples of promotion, and assessment. We will share tips to create flexible, sustainable events designed to reach the whole student and build a sense of belonging on campus.