Rethinking the Library Tour Using The Amazing Library Race

The academic library can be scary places to freshman. It operates under slightly different rules than their public or school library. Academic libraries are large intimidating buildings. When freshman walk inside (if they can overcome their anxiety), they are filled with upper classman who seem to know all rules and secret handshakes for negotiating the library.

Library tours are valuable to students who never have been in an academic library or who are overwhelmed by the experience; however, the main problem with a traditional tour is that they are dull and boring.

So, how do you make a library tour more interesting to students?
One of the best methods I’ve tested in the last two years is: The Amazing Library Race.

This is not an original idea of mine as many libraries use this format. And, frankly, the format has been around for awhile. It is simply a scavenger hunt reformatted using the popular reality show The Amazing Race as a template.

At Western Oregon University, I use this for the library tour given to Student Enrichment Program’s Summer Bridge students. During Summer Bridge, students arrive two weeks prior to school. The goal is to orient and acclimate students to the campus before their first freshman term. The summer bridge has 30-35 students.

How the Race is Run

Students arrive at a large lecture classroom in the library

They are divided into teams of two (typically 15-16 teams)

An Amazing Library Race video is played using library locations for the places they will travel to

They are given their first task (half of the teams complete the tasks in reverse order to avoid pile ups at task sites)

When they complete their task, they are given their next task to complete

The first three teams back win a prize

All teams that complete the tasks are entered into a drawing for two more additional prizes

The Task they complete:

Print off a course reserve article

Locate a study room

Fill out a laptop request form and check out a laptop

Go to library computer lab and follow posted directions for locating an article from a database

Locate the Copy Center

Find a book on the shelf (each team is given their own book to look up)

The Amazing Library Race has proven to be a fun reworking of the traditional library tour. I wouldn’t use this for smaller classes or for classes during the term (it is a fairly chaotic and disruptive event as students take to heart the race aspect). However, for large group new student week orientations it is very effective.

Next Posting: The Library Tour—Using the Cephalonian Method