Illustrating Hidden Treasures at the BYU Library

From stunning collections of art to retro media consoles and a swimsuit exhibit, Brigham Young University’s Harold B. Lee Library (HBLL) has more than a few treasures hidden within its walls – and two student illustrators spent their summer trying to prove it.

#LibrarySketch is the HBLL’s social media campaign that started in May and is designed to highlight some of the most interesting and beloved corners of the library’s vast collection. Managed by two animation students, Emma Zaugg and Brenna Monson, the project is an eye-opening experience for many and is continuing to gain traction.

“This project allows us to wander around the library and find things that are interesting and, in some cases, completely new to us,” Zaugg said. “To me, this is all about helping others find their ‘happy place’ and giving them another reason to use the amazing resources here.”

The idea behind #LibrarySketch was developed by Roger Layton, the library’s communications manager. The campaign began as an attempt to break through the wall of inactivity that they hit on the HBLL Instagram account, @byu_hbll.

“It came to a point where we just weren’t generating as much interaction [as] we wanted on social media,” Layton said. “Then we started this campaign at the beginning of spring term and it’s as if we were able to break through a brick wall. So far it’s been hugely successful.”

Monson hopes the campaign’s success is due to the aesthetic appeal of the illustrations and the fact that it’s fresh and original content; that's why she enjoys working on the project. 

“Because we are given free rein on these illustrations, I don’t really feel like it’s work,” Monson said. “This project feels personal to me and I enjoy doing it.”

To find new ideas for content, Monson and Zaugg simply walk through the library to find something they really like and then illustrate it.

“What more could we ask for?” Zaugg said. “We get to learn new things about the library and then try our hand at using different styles to portray what we like.”

So far, Monson and Zaugg have chosen to highlight the HBLL’s popular reading section, library exhibits, Bollywood films, the Research and Writing Center, the library’s moon globe and more.

Layton hopes the campaign will continue into the Fall semester. 

Writer: Beau Jones