New interactive library exhibit seeks to create a sense of home

It's not uncommon for first-year students to miss their family and friends back home. A new exhibit at the Mary Idema Pew Library is designed to help students combat feelings of homesickness and feel a greater sense of belonging.

Emily Frigo, liaison librarian for liberal arts programs, said the Home(MADE) exhibit offers an interactive experience for students, which displays questions like, "What does home look like? Feel like? Smell like?" 

"We are trying to create a sense of belonging," said Frigo. "We want first-year students to connect and interact beyond just meeting someone. We want them to break barriers and realize they may share similar feelings being away from home and in a new place." 

The exhibit will be on display in the lower level Atrium of the Mary Idema Pew Library through September 24. 

In addition to the exhibit, students can make and decorate a memory box at the Mary Idema Pew Library on August 27 from 10 a.m.-noon and August 28 from 6-8 p.m., and at the Steelcase Library on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus on August 29 from 2-4 p.m.

For additional information visit https://www.gvsu.edu/library/exhibits-37.htm