In partnership with the Office of Sustainability, the Campus Library created a virtual scavenger hunt in support of Indiana Humanities’ One State/One Story: World of Wonders Community Read program. The Campus Library, along with 31 other non-profits around Indiana, was awarded funding and free copies of the book World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, Other Astonishments by Aimee Nezhukumatathil. World of Wonders is a beautiful collection of essays, some somber, some humorous, that reflects on our relationship with the natural world and how we can find inspiration and appreciation in our environment. In each chapter, Nezhukumatathil focuses on a particular animal or plant, whose properties and habits remind her of various aspects of her life. She reflects on her experiences growing up, as a mother, a writer, and as a woman of color and discusses how these amazing lifeforms influence how she views the world.
Inspired by all the amazing creatures and plant life featured in this book, and the beautiful illustrations by Fumi Mini Nakamura, the Campus Library used Google Quizzes to create an online scavenger hunt that encourages participants to get out and enjoy nature this spring, and hopefully provide inspiration to appreciate the natural world. The scavenger hunt has a mix of online searching, book sleuthing, and a variety of outdoor and sustainability-related activities. All the questions or activities relate in some way to the chapters in the book, which are titled after the life form being discussed (i.e., Dragon Fruit, Narwhal, Fireflies, Cactus Wren, Corpse Flower, etc.). A few of the tasks that recent participants completed and documented with photos:
Taking a picture of one of the “chapter” titles:
Eating a Dragon Fruit:
Using Reusable Shopping Bags:
Or Plant a Tree:
Some of the other activities involved included “Visit a farmers market,” “Go stargazing,” “Draw a picture of an animal or plant that inspires you,” or “Volunteer for a park or trail cleanup.” Some of the questions involve searching online, such as “What is the estimated number of Corpse Flowers remaining in the wild?” and “What is known as the world’s most dangerous bird, and possibly the deadliest to humans?”
All participants in Spring 2022 won a physical copy of World of Wonders and a small IU East swag bag, consisting of a bookmark, pencil, stickers, and pins with images from the book. All student participants were entered into a drawing for a $50 book scholarship from the Campus Library. The winner of the scholarship was Micah Turney, a sophomore majoring in General Studies.
The Campus Library will continue to promote One State/One Story: World of Wonders and will have a book discussion of the text this fall. All IU affiliates have access to an ebook version of World of Wonders through the IU Libraries. If you are an IU East affiliate and are interested in participating in the book discussion this fall, you are welcome to reach out to the Campus Library for a free copy of the book.
The Campus Library proudly supports sustainability efforts on the IU East Campus, and we have plenty of sustainability related resources to support student and faculty research. We have two libguides, one focused on Sustainability and another that highlights IU East’s Earth Week 2022 Celebration. Both guides contain valuable information and lists of resources that focus on climate change, sustainability, light pollution, plastic pollution, green energy, and more.
If you have any questions about the One State/One Story: World of Wonders, contact Assistant Librarian of Access Services Beth South at eabrockm@iue.edu. If you need any research assistance, just Ask Us! at iueref@iue.edu or click this button:
