Students have taken advantage of the Walk-in Workshops held in Bender Library, according to Senior Reference Assistant Drew Lemerise. He said in an e-mail that of 92 events held during the 2005-2006 academic year, the workshops had 533 attendees.
Kirstin Allen, an instruction/reference librarian, said the classes are formed as a response to common questions students ask at the reference desk.
"It makes sense that we offer a class that will serve those students that want to know," she said.
Allen started working at the library in the summer of 2003 and said the workshops have been in place since then with new ones added nearly every semester to meet the needs of students.
The workshops are free, require no R.S.V.P. and last 30 minutes to one hour, according to the library's Web site. The Web site lists classes ranging from "Library Tour" to "How to do a Literature Review" to "Google Scholar."
Tessie Epstein, a freshman in the School of Communication, said she found the classes "very informative ... especially since the online search tools are paid for with our tuition."
Attendance peaks at the beginning of the fall semester, Allen said. She attributes the peak to the many new students trying to understand how to take advantage of the library's resources.
Derek Wenzell, a freshman in the Kogod School of Business, said he attended two workshops about using the library and its databases at the beginning of the fall semester.
"The sessions helped because there are a lot of resources in the library and it helps to understand how to use them," Wenzell said.
Wenzell won a MacBook through a contest the library held for attendees of the Walk-in Workshops. Wenzell said students filled out slips at each workshop they attended and their names were entered to win a MacBook.
"Not many people I know even knew about the contest," Wenzell said. "I was lucky enough to go ... and win."
The classes are a great way to get students into the library and help them feel comfortable and aware of the resources that are offered, Allen said.
"Students aren't forced to come and if they can find 30 minutes or an hour in their schedule to learn what the library has to offer, why not?" Allen said.
