Breaking the ‘Ice’: Using a Sword to Slay Patron Anxiety in Special Collections
Keywords:
Outreach, special collections, popular culture, library anxietyAbstract
This paper describes demonstrated success by one special collections library in reducing among members of its patron population feelings of anxiety and reluctance endemic to people encountering a special collections library environment for the first time. Reading Room staff use a collection of replica weapons with origins in the immensely popular fantasy universe of George R.R. Martin, to create an open and welcoming atmosphere. Artifacts of popular culture become gateways through which patrons pass feeling more ready to engage with special collections materials. This successful process provides a useful example to institutions looking for successful outreach efforts of their own.
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Published
2017-09-22
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Articles