Libraries are hugely useful resources filled with information. As a child, I visited them often and acquired an appreciation for reading. Libraries and bookstores are also enjoyable places to simply pass the time. The hurried pace of modern life slows down, and time can be taken to learn about faraway places, people and cultures. New worlds are created and visited. 

These days, I work in libraries. Some of you may have seen me at the front desk of the Design Reading Room. These attributes of libraries — the opportunity they provide for learning, adventure and daring conquests of obscure card catalogs — seem to be lost on many of the students I encounter. 

I really don’t mind helping people locate information; it’s my job to do so. I also understand that many students have not yet taken Library 160, and that the students who have taken the class may not have learned anything. That is hardly to be surprised from a class with minimal professor-student contact. The course is supposed to teach students “how to access information effectively and efficiently using basic library resources.” Most of the time when I search for a book for a student, I use the same catalog as appears on the Parks Library home Web page. 

Most of you know how to search Google, Bing, Yahoo! or any number of other search engines for Web pages. Why can’t it be done for the library, too? Our card catalog is similarly structured. Sure, it’s intimidating. And not only are libraries still useful in this computer age, but with 28.02 miles’ worth of books to walk through there is an enormous amount of adventure to be done in the stacks. 

Much of the time I see a fear of unilaterally searching for resources and information This is probably indicative of my peers’ fear of acting decisively. Hesitation — whether it be over decisions of restaurants, streets, library searches or how to spend free time — seems to be a common characteristic. It’s as if we are afraid of being wrong. 

We shouldn’t be. Who is to say that the book you find for your research paper is an incorrect choice? The book or article or documentary used is validated as a source if you, the writer, use it in a relevant fashion. If it does nothing for or against your argument, it probably shouldn’t have been used. But if you can use the source to demonstrate your point — to offer evidence for it — then you have used it well. 

And if you go to a shelf of the library that doesn’t have books useful to your subject of interest, go find another one. Don’t panic. Better yet, look around and see if there’s something interesting there. It’s perfectly acceptable to check out a book from Parks Library for your own enjoyment. 

You may be surprised at the intriguing knowledge you’ll find if you explore the library. It is a paper jungle, an untamed wilderness waiting for interested students to conquer it. Going out and looking for information, whether you find it quickly or after long and arduous treks through the stacks, will make you a more resourceful person. There aren’t really right and wrong methods to use. There are certainly more efficient methods, but the validity of the methods is only tied to how useful the information gleaned from the research is. 

Especially as term papers and final exams approach, I urge you to spend some time in the library — in the physical library building — to wander around and do research or study. Much like an African safari, the library is not to be feared, but experienced. Enjoy your adventure at Iowa State. Just remember that the library is part of it.