For the last couple of years, the staff in O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library have been posting a question on a big white board near the entrance. Sticky notes are provided for anyone to respond to the question.   We’ve asked questions like:

–  What would you tell a prospective student about the library?
–  Books – print or digital, which do you prefer?
–  What’s the best discovery you’ve made in the library?
–  What’s your favorite political movie?
–  What are you thankful for?
–  What helps you get to sleep?
–  What is your best study tip?
–  What are you working on right now?
–  What are you most excited about this semester?
–  How do you get your political news?

Our goal with the white board is to create a conversation with the people who come into the library, and to, we hope, learn more about them. We will ask a mix of lighthearted, social questions as well as more serious questions about your use of the library and our resources.
The answers to our latest question ‘What was the high point of your summer?’ demonstrates how interesting our users are. All the answers (necessarily brief, since the sticky note is small) suggested stories behind our users’ lives:

–  People travelled to Peru, Chile, England, Spain, Italy, Vietnam, Brazil, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and South Africa as well as many points in the U.S.
–  The Iowa State Fair!
–  More than one attended the Bonnarroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee
–  People worked at a number of jobs, volunteered, coached, and took classes
–  The usual Minnesota summer activities were represented – boating, camping, laying in the sun, hanging with the family, hiking up north
–  And one person won a lot of money in Las Vegas!

We’ll keep putting up questions throughout the year – and hope to continue to learn more about you!