Library holds Web site contest

Who is the author of the book Far Afield? For students who live in college houses, finding the answer to that and other research questions -- by using Van Pelt Library's World Wide Web site -- can win them gift certificates at local stores in Van Pelt's "Library Challenge" scavenger hunt. The contest -- which the library has been conducting since Sunday by handing out flyers with questions to students in each college house -- concludes today. Grand prizes, which include $500 and $250 Council Travel gift certificates and a $300 Douglas Parfumerie gift basket, will be awarded tomorrow at noon in the Undergraduate Study Center of Van Pelt Library when administrators draw raffle tickets to determine the winners. Students in each college house will also win smaller gift certificates to Eastern Mountain Sports, Urban Outfitters and several other stores around campus. Students accumulate raffle tickets by successfully performing each task specified in the scavenger hunt. According to librarian Fenghua Wang, about one in three students who enter the contest will win a prize. Although the event originated two years ago as "College House Night in Van Pelt Library," it now bears a new name and form and has changed venues. While formerly conducted in the library, most of the contest now takes place in students' rooms or college house computer labs. "What we're trying to emphasize this year is that you can do a lot of library research right in your own dorm," Reference Librarian and Library Advisory Program Coordinator Debra Bucher said. But officials also stressed that it is important not to rely solely on the Web. Contestants receive three bonus raffle tickets for going to the library to find specific books. The idea is to get them acquainted with the library itself and to show them that even though students have an abundance of research materials available to them on the library's Web site, there are still advantages to going to the library. "We want to let students know that we are there to help them? and that we're approachable," Wang said. "We are trying to provide a service they need." Head Reference Librarian Jane Bryan added that it is important for students to be aware that there are library advisors available to them, in addition to information technology and math and science advisors in their college houses.