Twice a year, librarians from the McDonald Memorial Library emerge from the stacks and chilly archives to check in with faculty members across campus. For three days in the fall and spring, they knock on doors looking for professors who welcome the visit as a chance to catch up on new library services, review new and existing programs and clear up any questions they may have. Those who aren’t in get calling cards on their doorknobs.

“The faculty said they really liked this walkabout, and we may be expanding it to others,” says JoAnne Young, associate vice president for library services.

Everyone could use a little help getting acquainted with the library’s vast array of information systems and technology tools such as Blackboard, a software program providing faculty-to-student communication online, University e-mail and the internal portal communications system, as well as resources such as the XPLORE Library Catalog and OhioLINK, which takes researchers to other universities’ databases.

The walkabouts are in addition to an annual orientation library staff provide to introduce new faculty to all the information resources available on campus.