August 17, 2005
Library Affairs staff assisting new students
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Staff members of Library Affairs for the first time are offering a service to help students new to Southern Illinois University Carbondale get off on the right foot when the fall semester opens.
On Monday, Aug. 22, the first day of fall classes, and on Tuesday, Aug. 23, staff members will be in a tent outside Morris Library's north entrance handing out maps and bottled water between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. In addition to general campus maps, staff will hand out maps with "yellow arrow" paths from the library to popular campus destinations, including Woody Hall, Lawson Hall, Engineering and others. Kevin Davie, with the library's Geographic Information Systems unit, designed the map.
"Any large university campus can be intimidating for new students to navigate," Dean David H. Carlson said. "Making new students feel welcome and comfortable in their new environment is paramount. Library staff can help students find their way, and I think that will be one small contribution to student retention."
Enhancing student-responsiveness is among the goals of Southern at 150: Building Excellence Through Commitment, the blueprint for the development of the University by the time it celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2019.