July/August 2018 383 C&RL News

New libraries are constantly challenged to adapt how their spaces are used.  
This is the case even more so for libraries 
with primarily digital collections. As a brand 
new 21st-century li-
brary with only a few 
print materials and a 
98% digital collec-
tion, it was important 
for the University of 
Central Florida Har-
riet Ginsburg Health 
Sciences Library to 
promote use of our 
space to existing us-
ers, and to establish 
the library space it-
self as a valuable re-
source to its faculty, 
staff, and students. 
This would be ac-
complished through 
the development of 
novel outreach activities, including one of 
our more unique and successful experi-
ences—Popcorn Day.

The library established its weekly Popcorn 
Day promotion to attract students, faculty, 
and staff to the library space. When the Col-
lege of Medicine (COM) moved into its new 
building in 2010 from its previous home 
occupying one floor of a research building, 
the small and close-knit COM family sud-
denly dispersed. The library needed a way 

to rebuild relationships with its old and new 
faculty and staff, and to encourage medical 
students to enter the library. Additionally, be-
cause our collection is almost entirely digital, 

students can access 
our resources with-
out having to step 
foot in the physical 
library space. The 
library team also 
hoped that while 
students, faculty, 
and staff came to 
enjoy their pop-
corn, the library 
would have an op-
portunity to share 
information about 
library resources 
and services. Fi-
n a l l y ,  h a v i n g  a 
unifying event for 
the entire college 

would create a welcoming and inviting 
place for the COM community to gather and 
network.

Natasha Williams is user services librarian, email: 
natasha.williams@ucf.edu, and Shalu Gillum is head of 
public services, email: shalu@ucf.edu, at the Harriet F. 
Ginsburg Health Sciences Library in the University of 
Central Florida College of Medicine
 
© 2018 Natasha Williams and Shalu Gillum

Natasha Williams and Shalu Gillum

Encouraging users to pop in 
Popcorn Day in the medical library

The library’s famous popcorn machine.

mailto:natasha.williams%40ucf.edu?subject=
mailto:shalu%40ucf.edu?subject=
mailto:allan.vanhoye%40colorado.edu%20?subject=


C&RL News July/August 2018 384

Popcorn Day is born
The idea for Popcorn Day was born out of 
a library team brainstorming session after 
the 2011 Medical Library Association annual 
meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The li-
brary’s public services librarian attended a 
continuing education program called, “Mar-
keting as if Your Library Depended on it,” 
during which participants brainstormed 
ideas for unconventional programming. 
From her long list of ideas, which she shared 
with her li-
brary team, 
having pop-
corn in the 
library was 
the unani-
mous choice 
because it 
sounded like 
the easiest 
and most 
fun idea for 
p r o g r a m -
ming. There 
was very 
little risk 
i n v o l v e d , 
other than 
purchasing a 
popcorn ma-
chine and supplies. 

Logistics
We decided it would be most effective and 
time-efficient to purchase a full-size pop-
corn machine rather than making micro-
wave popcorn for the event. A full-size ma-
chine would pop popcorn in larger batches, 
keep the popcorn warm for the duration 
of the event, and generate greater interest 
for the event by acting as an attractive and 
eye-catching prop. An appropriately sized 
machine and associated supplies (e.g., pop-
corn and paper bags) were purchased on-
line from Amazon.com.

When considering the timing of the event, 
it was important to establish some consis-
tency so that Popcorn Day could become a 

regular part of our patrons’ schedules. This 
way everyone could look forward to the 
weekly event without having to keep track 
of a fluctuating appointment. We determined 
that Thursday afternoons at 3 p.m. would be 
our best bet. A few factors went into choosing 
this day and time. First, we recognized that 
choosing one day out of the week would 
generate more excitement than choosing 
multiple days because the novelty would 
not wear off as fast. Additionally, we chose 

Thursday be-
cause it cre-
ated an add-
ed feeling of 
a  m o r a l i t y 
boost being 
so close to 
the end of 
t h e  w e e k . 
We also tried 
to be con-
s c i o u s  o f 
monopoliz-
ing too much 
faculty and 
staff time. A 
m o r e  t h a n 
once-weekly 
event could 
put addition-

al stress on already maxed-out daily sched-
ules full of meetings, and we did not want 
our event to compete or be seen as frivolous 
in comparison. 

With respect to choosing the start time, 
we knew the event would not be successful 
if it occurred too close to the lunch hour. We 
figured that 3 p.m. was far enough away from 
lunch that patrons would be interested in tak-
ing a break from studying and working, and 
more likely in the mood for a snack. Student 
schedules were also taken into account when 
choosing the start time for the event. 

One member of the library team was 
designated the official popcorn popper (over 
time, other library staff members were also 
trained as backup poppers). The popcorn 
takes approximately half an hour to pre-

Some of our students are very serious about Popcorn Day.1



July/August 2018 385 C&RL News

pare. Initially, we had planned to pop the 
popcorn within the library space, but we 
were advised to find another location, due 
to concerns about the sensitivity of the emer-
gency sprinkler systems within the building.  
We tried several other locations around and 
outside the building before settling upon the 
kitchen located in the library breakroom. A 
window is propped open for the duration 
of the popcorn preparation to let any steam 
from the machine escape outside.

Promoting 
Popcorn 
Day
Advertising 
for Popcorn 
Day is very 
straightfor-
ward. We 
created two 
flyers to be 
placed in 
each of the 
e l e v a t o r s 
within the 
medical edu-
cation build-
ing, and a 
24" x 36" 
poster-sized 
version of the flyer to be placed outside of 
the library each Thursday morning. The fly-
ers and poster are removed once all of the 
popcorn has been consumed, or by the end 
of the business day, depending on which 
occurs first. 

Outcomes and observations
Six years after the initial idea to start a weekly 
popcorn outreach activity, Popcorn Day is still 
by far our most popular and effective method 
to draw people into the library space. The 
event is so popular that beyond the flyers and 
poster, no advertising is needed on our part. 
Since then, regular Popcorn Day participants 
have let us know that they have added re-
minders to their calendars so as not to miss 
the event. While first-year medical students are 

finished with classes by 3 p.m. and are free to 
participate in Popcorn Day, second-year stu-
dents are usually in the middle of lecture dur-
ing this time, but have been known to request 
a five-to-ten-minute break that coincides with 
the start of the event. 

As we had hoped, Popcorn Day has also 
increased librarian engagement with our us-
ers. Members of the library’s Public Services 
team are on hand during Popcorn Day to help 
distribute popcorn and to interact with attend-

ees. Because 
library staff is 
so visible dur-
ing this time, 
it gives medi-
cal students 
the chance to 
ask any ques-
t i o n s  t h e y 
might have. 
Due to the in-
formal nature 
of the event, 
with attend-
ees mingling 
and chatting 
around the 
library front 
desk, more 
opportunities 

are created for relationship-building between 
the library team and its users. Library staff are 
also able to meet and engage with COM faculty 
and staff that may not otherwise step foot in 
the library. 

Popcorn Day has also contributed to the 
general goodwill towards the library. We have 
received so much positive feedback from 
students, staff, and faculty that the event is a 
highlight of their week, that it builds consistency 
in otherwise crazy schedules, and that it is plain 
fun. When prospective medical students are led 
on tours of the library space by current students, 
Popcorn Day is often mentioned as a special 
library offering unique to COM. 

Finally, Popcorn Day has increased the 
overall foot traffic into the library, which was 
our ultimate goal. Statistics from our automatic 

The Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs waiting in line 
during Popcorn Day.



C&RL News July/August 2018 386

gate counters show the growth in use our library 
has experienced, as well as noticeable spikes in 
activity on Thursdays. When Popcorn Day was 
introduced during the 2011–12 academic year, 
the library saw an average of 115 people come 
through the library per day, with an average of 
160 people on Thursdays due to Popcorn Day. 
Six years later, the library now sees an average 
of 305 people each day, and an average of 377 
on Popcorn Day. We believe that our internal 
outreach efforts, including Popcorn Day, were 
a contributing factor to the increased use of the 
library space.

The evolution of Popcorn Day
Popcorn Day has evolved in that it has been 
a way for the library to participate in other 
college-wide initiatives. For example, during 
Diversity Week, the library offers several pop-
corn toppings from various countries, includ-
ing snacks and spices from across the globe. 
The idea for offering popcorn toppings came 

from a regular Popcorn Day attendee, and the 
library adopted the concept as “Magical Mix-
Ins,” which we now offer twice a year, includ-
ing during Diversity Week. 

Conclusion
The library’s weekly Popcorn Day outreach 
event has established the library as a fun and 
inclusive environment on the COM campus. 
It is our most popular outreach activity, and 
encourages use of the library space, as well as 
engagement between the library team and all 
of its users.2 

Notes
1. Special thanks to everyone who enjoys 

Popcorn Day as enthusiastically as the persons 
included in our photos.

2. Visit us on Instagram to view more 
pictures of Popcorn Day and other library 
outreach activities at http://www.instagram.
com/ucfcomhsl. 

2. S e e  w w w . a l a . o r g / n e w s / p r e s s 
-releases/2017/01/acrl-board-directors 
-af fir ms-commitment-equity-diversity 
-inclusion-access.

3. S e e  w w w . a l a . o r g / n e w s / p r e s s 
-releases/2016/10/acrl-diversity-alliance-launches.

4. See www.ala.org/acrl/aboutacrl 
/directoryofleadership/committees/acr-raed.

5. See www.ala.org/acrl/standards 
/diversity.

6. See www.ala.org/advocacy/diversity.
7. See www.ala.org/acrl/membership 

/mentoring/joseymentoring/mentorprogram 
for example.

8. I was privileged to be invited to review 
an advance copy and provide a cover blurb. 
It will be available in 2018.

9. Teresa Y. Neely and Khafre K. Abif, 
eds. In Our Own Voices: The Changing Face 
of Librarianship (Lanham, M.D.: Scarecrow 
Press, Inc., 1996).

10. See https://www.wooster.edu 
/students/diversity/.

11. You can read more about McCull-
och and the statue at www.the-daily-record.
com/news/20170307/mcculloch-statue 
-dedicated-at-college-of-wooster.

12. See https://www.wooster.edu 
/about/facts/.

13. For the LibGuide see http://libguides.
wooster.edu/science-superstars. The Wooster 
Voice article is at http://thewoostervoice. 
spaces.wooster.edu/2017/09/29/timken 
-library-seeks-to-celebrate-underrepresented 
-figures-in-science/.

14. S e e  h t t p s : / / l i b r a r y . o h i o . g o v 
/documents/open-rfp/.

15. See https://www.wooster.edu 
/students/diversity/msa/mlk/dialogues/. 

16. See https://www.wooster.edu 
/about/leadership/president/ and https://www.
wooster.edu/bios/cnewton/. 

(“Hidden science superstars” continues from page 382)

http://www.instagram.com/ucfcomhsl
http://www.instagram.com/ucfcomhsl
http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2017/01/acrl-board-directors -affirms-commitment-equity-diversity-inclusion-access
http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2017/01/acrl-board-directors -affirms-commitment-equity-diversity-inclusion-access
http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2017/01/acrl-board-directors -affirms-commitment-equity-diversity-inclusion-access
http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2017/01/acrl-board-directors -affirms-commitment-equity-diversity-inclusion-access
http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2016/10/acrl-diversity-alliance-launches
http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2016/10/acrl-diversity-alliance-launches
http://www.ala.org/acrl/aboutacrl/directoryofleadership/committees/acr-raed
http://www.ala.org/acrl/aboutacrl/directoryofleadership/committees/acr-raed
http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/diversity
http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/diversity
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/diversity
http://www.ala.org/acrl/membership/mentoring/joseymentoring/mentorprogram
http://www.ala.org/acrl/membership/mentoring/joseymentoring/mentorprogram
http://www.ala.org/acrl/membership/mentoring/joseymentoring/mentorprogram
https://www.wooster.edu/students/diversity/
https://www.wooster.edu/students/diversity/
http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/20170307/mcculloch-statue-dedicated-at-college-of-wooster
http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/20170307/mcculloch-statue-dedicated-at-college-of-wooster
http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/20170307/mcculloch-statue-dedicated-at-college-of-wooster
https://www.wooster.edu/about/facts/
https://www.wooster.edu/about/facts/
http://libguides.wooster.edu/science-superstars
http://libguides.wooster.edu/science-superstars
http://thewoostervoice.spaces.wooster.edu/2017/09/29/timken-library-seeks-to-celebrate-underrepresented-figures-in-science
http://thewoostervoice.spaces.wooster.edu/2017/09/29/timken-library-seeks-to-celebrate-underrepresented-figures-in-science
http://thewoostervoice.spaces.wooster.edu/2017/09/29/timken-library-seeks-to-celebrate-underrepresented-figures-in-science
http://thewoostervoice.spaces.wooster.edu/2017/09/29/timken-library-seeks-to-celebrate-underrepresented-figures-in-science
https://library.ohio.gov/documents/open-rfp/
https://library.ohio.gov/documents/open-rfp/
https://www.wooster.edu/students/diversity/msa/mlk/dialogues/
https://www.wooster.edu/students/diversity/msa/mlk/dialogues/
https://www.wooster.edu/about/leadership/president/
https://www.wooster.edu/about/leadership/president/
https://www.wooster.edu/bios/cnewton/
https://www.wooster.edu/bios/cnewton/