Chapter 5

---

How to impress weekend visitors

 

Now that you’re in college, you might want the folks back home to believe you’re actually learning something. Good thing we have some resources to help you convince them.

1)      Visit the Lilly Library, located on Seventh Street across from Showalter Fountain. It has cool things such as: ·         an Oscar (presented to John Ford in 1941 for best director)                           ·         letter from George Washington accepting the presidency of the United States ·         Gutenberg Bible ·         Orson Welles scripts ·         world’s largest collection of mechanical puzzles

2)      Brush up on slang terms in foreign languages. Media & Reserve Services in the Wells Library houses a variety of popular films and videos, including many foreign films, and films are also available in your dorm library. Turn on the subtitles to get the full effect.

 

3)   Visit the Wylie House Museum, located at 307 E. Second Street in downtown Bloomington. This home was built in 1835 by IU’s first president, Andrew Wylie. From March through November, you can take a free guided tour through the house and gardens on Tuesdays-Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

 

4)   At the very least, spout off facts about the IUB Libraries. A few you might mention:

·   There are 16 libraries on the Bloomington campus;

·   We are the 13^th largest research library in North America;

·   We are among the top 25 research libraries in the country and named #1 in the country in 2010;

·   And our folklore collection is the largest of its kind in the world.

           

      For more facts to impress your guests, read up on the Wells Library (scroll to the bottom of this page).

How to choose your major

 

One of the great benefits of attending a large university like IU is that it has tons of interesting programs. One of the great challenges is choosing one. How do you decide what you want to do for the rest of your life?  

 

1)      Ask yourself the following questions:

What do you enjoy doing?

What are your goals?

What are the job prospects of various career paths?

Is finding a job important to you?

 

2)      Take courses to see what interests you.

 

3)      Talk to someone you think does something interesting and find out what they studied. A lot of times you’ll find their livelihood or job has little to do with their major. Just knowing that can reduce some of the anxiety of making a decision.

 

4)      Browse through the Career Reference Collection in the Wells Library. It’s located in the southwest corner of the IC. Sit in a comfortable chair and map out your future. What else have you got to do?  

 

 

How to save the planet

 

By working together we can all work to make things a bit better.

 

 

1)      Reduce. Try to limit the amount of pages you print, perhaps by setting your printing preferences to print on both sides of the sheet. Take only one napkin in the cafeteria. Walk or take the bus occasionally if you usually drive to campus.

 

2)      Reuse. Think about it: Libraries are the original recyclers—we’ve been recirculating books for decades. By using library books, you are part of a long cycle of people who benefit from sharing valuable resources.  

 

3)      Recycle. Take advantage of the many recycling bins located throughout the libraries. Don’t trash those unwanted printouts or copies of the IDS when you can just as easily drop them in a recycling container.

 

 

How to find your way around campus without looking lost

 

No one wants to be that guy or girl, the one walking around campus, nose buried in a map, looking like they got separated from their college-visit tour group.

 

1)      If time permits, use campus maps to plan your route before you venture out into the maze of IU Bloomington. The most important key to using a map is first to identify where you are.

 

2)      Walk with a purpose. Even if all the limestone buildings look the same and you have no idea where you’re going, act as if you do. And if you have an iPod, keep those ear buds in to appear more confident. Nine times out of 10, everyone will believe you. Why? Because they are doing the same thing.

 

3)      Check out our campus maps and floor plans of the Wells Library in the appendix to this Survival Guide. For extra cover, hide this book inside another one and pretend to study while you’re actually figuring out how to get to Jordan Hall.

 

 

 How to make friends in a class of 200 people

 

On a campus of nearly 40,000 potential friends, you might find it hard to make even one. But don’t let the swarm of fellow students prevent you from finding your crowd.  

 

1)      Sit in about the same spot every day. Because others tend to do the same, this increases the odds that you’ll interact by virtue of your location.

 

2)      When you become familiar, make the first move. Joke about the professor. Complain about the weather. Introduce yourself in a casual way.

 

3)      As the instructor assigns readings, offer to help your new acquaintance figure out how to use e-reserves. It’s not difficult but for new students can seem impressive.

 

How to clone yourself

 

 

You’re busy. You’ve got so many places to be and people to see that you wish you had a clone. Here’s the next best thing.

1)      Check out a digital camera from Media & Reserve Services in the Wells Library. Ask someone to take your picture.

 

2)      Take the camera to the multimedia center towards the far west end of the Information Commons.

 

3)      Ask one of the assistants sitting at the information desk located near the multimedia center to show you how to use the plotter.

4)   Print out a life-size representation of yourself.   5)   Attach print-out to cardboard or other sturdy material, and cut out the shape of your image   6)   Use new “clone” to fill in for you at lectures, dorm meetings, or sketchy dates.   Don’t be surprised if you earn a reputation for “not saying much.”