Poster Board Number: 41
Title: ReThink: Enhancing Weill Cornell Medical Library's Treasure Hunts
Aim: Evaluate success of library orientation treasure hunts for incoming medical students and graduate students.
Background: Weill Cornell Medical Library began conducting treasure hunts in 2006 for incoming medical students. Since then, the first-year students’ treasure hunt has expanded with three short learning vignettes on the online catalog (TRI-CAT), the GET IT Button, and PubMed searching. Teams must also complete a quiz. A treasure hunt was introduced for new graduate students in 2008. The same learning vignettes are presented, a list of items must be retrieved, and tasks need to be performed. Graduate students completed a word puzzle one year and in 2010 completed the quiz.
Methods: This is a summative analysis of treasure hunt evaluations demonstrating knowledge gained about the library’s programs and services, comfort in using the library’s website, and overall rating of the treasure hunt experience.
Results: On all the evaluations, the top 2 items learned about the library centered on physical location of materials and using Tri-Cat, the online catalog. On a Likert scale of 1-9, the questions asking the students to rate comfort in finding materials and comfort in finding materials on the library’s website received a score of 5-9. On a Likert scale of 1-9, overall rating of the treasure hunt experience also received a score of 5-9.
Conclusion: Overwhelmingly the treasure hunts for incoming medical and graduate students are a fun way to get to know the staff, program, and services of the Weill Cornell Medical Library.
Authors: Loretta Merlo, Manager, Circulation; Helen-Ann B. Epstein, AHIP, Head, Education and Outreach; Paul Albert, Digital Librarian; Diana Delgado, AHIP, Associate Director, Client Services; Pattie Mongelia, Education and Outreach Librarian; Weill Cornell Medical Library; Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY
