jason anfinsen

I created Lunchbrary and Nightbrary, noisy academic library program models that creatively fuse the arts, games, and music into a weekly engagement extravaganza for First-Year seminar students in THEIR college library. 

I wrote two soon-to-be-published chapters on Nightbrary and its impact on student engagement in a pair of ACRL books about the Library as Space and engaging students through meaningful participatory programming in the college library.

I define Lunchbrary as: 

“A daytime collaborative extravaganza co-created by librarians, student clubs, college departments, and teaching faculty throughout the library space”

Lunchbrary hits different. 

Lunchbrary runs in the daytime. 

Lunchbrary is 1 hour - every Wednesday, same day as Nightbrary.  

The major difference is that Lunchbrary is built on College collaboration. College departments present in the Cozy Corner and Student Clubs host events in the Art Area and Game Gallery. Over 15-weeks (and one finals party to close out each term), the library co-creates each unique Lunchbrary experience with many program partners.

I conceptualized RESEARCH RALLY in the Spring of 2002 originally as part of Nightbrary, which introduced faculty librarians from Seminole State College to first-year seminar students in the undergraduate IDS1107 course, which requires participation at a minimum of two college programs or events.

Along with librarian colleagues Nicole Sotak and Ross Martin, we delivered 73 Research Rally live recorded online instructional video episodes to meet and engage students at their virtual point of need, and teach FY students information literacy using emerging technologies during a live broadcast streamed online and captured for YouTube.  

Nicole Sotak became managing producer and re-imagined the live librarian instruction web series as Research Rally Live. We recorded 30 episodes.