Public Services - Evolving Space for Student Focused Place

An essential element of the University Libraries' mission is to provide space for students to meet, study, and socialize; a place of belonging and welcome. The Dunbar Library building provided welcoming space to 190,000 people last year, between July 2024 through June 2025. 

This year, the library updated all four of the Group Study Rooms. The rooms were outfitted with reconfigured furniture better matching the way students used the spaces. CaTS assisted with technological updates providing large screen TV monitors and current medial output options. Lastly, RaiderUp! paint color schemes and Wright State themed murals from the Office of Marketing created a fresh, Raider-ready vibe in each room. The updates make the rooms more comfortable. After the upgrades, the rooms saw an increase in bookings.

Library staff enjoyed contributing to the Wright State University recruiting events and campus orientations. Potential students saw library staff at tabling events for Raider Open Houses, later titled Explore Wright State Days. Library staff welcomed students at UCIE orientations and tours, Graduate Student Open Houses, Resident Hall Advising Orientation, and Mental Health Week fun. Whose got the buttons? We got the buttons! The library button making table has become a tradition at Fall Fest and April Craze. Library staff provided a warm, welcoming presence to students' sense of belonging on campus.

Most students think of books when they think of the library. Library staff coordinate with faculty to provide course reserve textbooks, an old but valuable service that help students to control costs. During the past year, students borrowed course reserve items 9,500 times! The proven worth, use, and cost savings demonstrate student focused efforts of the library to help them manage college expenses. Beyond course reserves, the library supported student research with materials; books, ebooks, full-text and print journals, database indexes, media, primary source archival documents, and more. 

The library connected WSU scholars to other academic institutions. OhioLINK membership and Interlibrary Loan services created world-wide access to research materials at no extra cost to the researcher. The libraries provided 5,000 items to researchers through OhioLINK and 2,600 items through our Interlibrary Loan service in the last year.

The University Library staff contributed to student class instruction. Highlights included involvement in First Year Seminar sessions and the English Composition program. During 2024-2025 (summer through spring) Librarians taught at 340 events reaching 6,630 students. The libraries continued to develop curriculum support materials designed to help students at their point of need, when they need help. Students used Library Research Guides 40,000 times in 2024. The libraries AskUs service remained popular. Library staff answered more than 3,000 questions this year, providing accurate answers and research assistance right when it was needed.

Library staff offered multiple Crafternoon sessions throughout the academic year; a new initiative designed for students to have non-academic, creative fun. Each afternoon activity was themed. The students who attended in October decorated creepy cupcakes. November students made collages. December found students knitting! Continuing the thread theme, students embroidered for January. For February, students made creative cards, and in April, the last Crafternoon of the season, zines. Crafternoons are open to all Wright State University students. Supplies are provided through sponsorship of the Wright State University Friends of the Libraries. (Thank you, Friends!) Look for next season's Crafternoons on Engage, the University Libraries Calendar of Events, and our social media platforms. 

Library visitors enjoyed the rebranded Dunbar Cafe that opened in November of 2024. Caffeine, food, and a great place to study make a winning combination. The coffee bar presence enhances a welcoming comforting atmosphere in library space. 

Library staff heard that students needed to "rent" unusual things, maybe just once, rather than buy something they wouldn't need forever. Why not borrow instead of buy? The Library of Things was born. The library includes eight categories of things: Entertainment, Health and Wellness, Games, Hobbies and Crafts, Outdoors, Photo and Video, Productivity Tools, and Technology. Entertainment includes museum passes: the Dayton Art Institute, Carillon Historical Park, and the Dayton Peace Museum. Samples of other things include: exercise equipment, water colors, baking supplies, lawn chairs, hammocks, graphing calculators, charging batteries, cameras and video equipment, and whiteboards. A full list of things is available on our website under Services for Students. Library of Things items are available for checkout at the first-floor service desk. 

The University Libraries re-established the Library Student Advisory Board during the 2024-2025 academic year. The board's purpose is to provide students with a contributing voice to library decisions and a student-focused guide to future library innovations. This year the student board offered advice while choosing functional options for the new QuickSearch library system. The students also provided a valuable viewpoint regarding format choices for updates to the Libraries' How-To videos. The work of the student board members is instrumental to obtaining an authentic student perspective informing library administrative decisions.

Library public-services will enjoy a bright future with a student-informed perspective.