A seemingly simple or silly question is sometimes the more important question we should be asking each other. Every week, Paul Showalter, coordinator of assessment, writes a question on a big white board located at the entrance of Swem Library. By the end of the week, the board is littered with a variety of anonymous responses from students and other patrons. It sparks a conversation that otherwise would not occur, thereby forming new bonds in the Swem Library community.
After finding inspiration from other libraries that used a white board as a community forum, Showalter brought the idea to Swem Library.
“It’s a great way to indirectly check in with our students and users of the library in a fun, low-pressure way,” he explained.
The questions range from serious and school-related to silly and out of left field. Showalter tries to maintain a balanced mix of questions or relate the questions to a theme based on the time of year such as finals week, love data week, or march madness.
Speaking of march madness, how about starch madness. Last spring, the whiteboard became a hotbed of controversy when Showalter and a group of librarians held a best form of potato bracket. Waffle fries won by slim margins after a showdown against mashed potatoes.
Other whiteboard questions asked students what kinds of self-care they practiced during final exams, what research they’re working on, what books best represent them, and what resources they wish Swem Library had.
“The whiteboard offers a space for students to inspire other students with their responses like we saw happen in the self-care question,” Showalter said. “It’s also an avenue for us to see what gaps we need to fill on our shelves, in our services, and spaces.”
The whiteboard is small effort that represents how libraries are third spaces for people to be inspired by others, participate in conversations, feel heard, and have fun. It’s also a reminder to students and staff that the library fosters the practice of thoughtful, collaborative thinking big and small.