At the University of Waterloo, librarians have been expanding their outreach to first-year students during orientation week dramatically over the past three years. Efforts have included involvement in department and faculty orientation events, as well as in a campus-wide orientation initiative called “Jumpstart Friday,” which aims to educate new students about the different services on campus that can help them to “jumpstart” their success.

Librarians’ increasing participation in varied orientation events has necessitated that librarians streamline their outreach efforts for new students. Most recently, librarians have been designing their communication pieces and presentations with a focus on eliciting interest and positive first impressions about the library. To spark students’ interest in the library they aim to 1) create clear and concise messaging for delivering essential information, 2) demonstrate how the library will fit into students’ lives, and 3) deliver content in a high-energy and upbeat way.

In this article, the authors outline the specific outreach approaches that librarians at Waterloo are currently taking in their communications and presentations to first-year students during orientation week.