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Stark, Paris, Rogan, Finnegan Dopkins, and Etter 

 

   

Hypothesis, vol. 29, no. 2, Fall/Winter 2017                                                                           21                                                                                

 

Art Show Paints a Collaborative Picture: Increasing 
Engagement in a Pharmacy and Health Sciences Library  

Rachel Stark, MS, AHIP 
Health Sciences Librarian, Senior Assistant Librarian  

Sacramento State University 

Sacramento, CA 

stark@sacstate.edu 

 

Mickel Paris, MLIS 
Health Sciences Librarian, Assistant Professor  
Rite Aid Information Commons 

University of the Pacific 

Stockton, CA 

mparis@pacific.edu 

 

Ed Rogan, PharmD 
Assistant Professor, Thomas J . Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences  
University of the Pacific 

Stockton, CA 

erogan@pacific.edu 

 

Mary-Kate Finnegan Dopkins, MLIS 
Library Services Specialist  
Rite Aid Information Commons 

University of the Pacific 

Stockton, CA 

kdopkins@pacific.edu 

 

Cassie Etter, MTS 
Library Services Specialist  
Rite Aid Information Commons 

University of the Pacific 

Stockton, CA 

cetter@pacific.edu 



Art Show Paints a Collaborative Picture  
Stark, Paris, Rogan, Finnegan Dopkins, and Etter 

 

   

Hypothesis, vol. 29, no. 2, Fall/Winter 2017                                                                           22                                                                                

 

Abstract 
Objective: To increase student, staff, and faculty engagement with the health sciences library. 

Methods: Faculty, staff, and students were encouraged to create pharmacy-themed artworks 

and submit them to the library for entry into an art show.  A two-hour art show and gala were 

planned for library patrons to view art pieces submitted by faculty, staff, and students. 

Participation data was collected during the event and compared to previous programming held 

at the health sciences library.   

Results: The PharmArt program determined a metric of demonstrable success would show as 

an uptick in participation; both physical and digital, when compared against previous library 

events.  Physical participation was measured through program attendance and art piece 

submission. Participating demographics were represented by all target populations of faculty, 

staff, and students with a total increase of 52 participants (347% increase) over the previous 

event. Engagement through social media showed a considerable increase in clicks (2224%), 

shares (1200%), and overall reach (24%) within the school community. 

Conclusions: Incorporating student, staff, and faculty art works into a library-hosted event 

increased participation in a library program compared to previous library programming. 

Attendance and Social Media engagement increased considerably. Faculty, librarians, and 

students were brought together to share a common creative interest and to promote a casual 

atmosphere in which cross-curricular ideas could be discussed among attendees. 

 

Introduction 
 

The Rite Aid Information Commons (RAIC) is the health sciences library serving the University of 

the Pacific Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.  The school supports the 

academic success of students studying pharmacy, audiology, physical therapy, and speech 

language pathology. Library events at the RAIC, such as the Better Hearing & Speech Month 

(BHSM) Kickoff Party, have traditionally had poor attendance, even with social media marketing 

and incentives such as raffle prizes.  Due to the lack of engagement, many event goals were 

unmet (for example, providing important information regarding diseases and other health-

related subjects), prompting a reevaluation of library programming at the RAIC.  

Research increasingly supports library programs that provide students the opportunity to 

actively participate in creative endeavors at the intersection of art and science in order to view 

different facets of established academic and clinical concepts [1, 2].  In collaboration with 



Art Show Paints a Collaborative Picture  
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Hypothesis, vol. 29, no. 2, Fall/Winter 2017                                                                           23                                                                                

 

pharmacy faculty, the RAIC hosted an art event and subsequent pop-up art gallery with the 

goals of 1) increasing engagement and collaboration with faculty and students and 2) improving 

patron interest in the library through creative and participatory library services.  

The event, entitled PharmArt, was designed to encourage collaborative creative activity and 

stimulate discussion among artists and participants.  Since the library is a neutral space, the 

RAIC provided a welcoming environment for artistic expression, which is recommended for the 

exchange of cross-curricular ideas [3]. The exhibit also provided pharmacy students and faculty 

an opportunity to interact socially with students from other disciplines.  

Participation was broadly solicited from faculty, staff, and students within the School of 

Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and works from every physical art medium were welcomed. The 

theme of the art show was “Knowing Your Pharmacist and the Local History of Pharmacy.” 

 

Objective 
 

Previous programming at the RAIC had low participation, with just 15 attendees at the Better 

Hearing & Speech Month (BHSM) kickoff event. The primary goal of PharmArt was to positively 

increase student and faculty engagement in person and online at the RAIC by hosting an active, 

participatory library program.  Not only did PharmArt improve event turnout to 67 attendees 

from BHSM’s 15 (347%), it also increased online engagement by 24 (1200%) Facebook shares 

and reactions.  The secondary goal was to explore if students, faculty, and staff would be 

interested in a library-hosted art program.  This goal was facilitated by encouraging creative 

participation from nine faculty, staff, and students who submitted eleven works of art, as well 

as providing attendees with the opportunity to vote in the art show.     
 

Literature Review 
 

Libraries are discovering methods to reshape space through art and aesthetics in order to 

connect with the community and draw in new users.  A review of the literature reveals that art 

shows and galleries are created with much success not only in campus libraries, but in science 

and health sciences libraries as well.  

Beals’ 2007 article on student art in library exhibitions details not only the process of setting up 

an exhibition program, but also the rationale [3]. In this often-cited article, Beals explores the 

process of designating the exhibition space, creating submission procedures, and deploying 

publicity, among other important logistical considerations, for the University of Tennessee 



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Hypothesis, vol. 29, no. 2, Fall/Winter 2017                                                                           24                                                                                

 

Libraries.  The process includes the creation of an inviting and visually appealing space, as well 

as providing an educational purpose that supports the library’s mission.  Similarly, the 

University of Colorado invited the general community to explore non-traditional uses of library 

space by establishing an art gallery that showcases works by local and visiting artists [4]. 

Science and health sciences libraries are also realizing the value of art in science learning.  The 

Albert R. Mann Library at Cornell University, which serves agriculture, life science and human 

ecology programs, has created an art gallery that attempts to create interdisciplinary 

knowledge and communicate science through visual imagery, such as sculpture, drawing, 

photography, and illustration [5]. For the Marston Science Library at University of Florida, an art 

contest called “Elegance of Science” encourages faculty, students, and staff to compete for 

awards and recognition, while also providing campus art connoisseurs the opportunity to 

reflect and contemplate the discoveries of life [6]. 

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) has contributed to interdisciplinary learning innovation 

by creating the NLM Traveling Exhibition Program that health science libraries can adopt to 

engage with users.  Previous high-interest themes include health science topics found in 

Frankenstein and Harry Potter novels.  Outcomes of the NLM’s traveling galleries reveal that 

they positively change users’ perceptions of the library and bring more people through the 

doors [7]. 

Additionally, art shows and galleries are increasingly proving to be both ice breakers and 

sandboxes for future collaboration between faculty and librarians.  Catalano et al. point out 

that disparate areas of the school, such as the health sciences and arts programs, all share 

something in common: the library [8].  College and university libraries that have indicated an 

explicit desire to increase outcomes of faculty-librarian connections and collaborations through 

art include:  

• University of Akron Science & Technology library, which created a gallery of artistic 

journal covers of published faculty research [9] 

• Fort Lewis College Reed Library, which emphasized student success outcomes within the 

College’s mission [10] 

• Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library at George Washington University Medical Center, 

where the library’s art show has flourished since 1979 and has become a popular annual 

tradition embedded within the culture of the campus [11] 

Throughout the literature, the common denominator in libraries developing an art show or 

establishing an art gallery is to further the library’s mission, supported by the ideal of the library 



Art Show Paints a Collaborative Picture  
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Hypothesis, vol. 29, no. 2, Fall/Winter 2017                                                                           25                                                                                

 

as a service organization with eight functions described by Frieda O. Weise in her 2003 Janet 

Doe Lecture as: a physical symbol of knowledge, an intellectual commons, a haven for research, 

a place for collaboration, an access point for information, a forum to teach, a functional and 

pleasant workplace, and an attractive gateway to the campus [12].  Art shows can embody 

these functions within the library by combining art with science to provide novel learning 

experiences for students between disciplines and encourage collaboration between faculty and 

librarians, where Beals states: “conversation is stimulated, participation is encouraged, and new 

experiences are gained.” [3]. 

 

Methods 
 

In an effort to engage students, faculty, and staff in library programing, library staff working in 

conjunction with a School of Pharmacy faculty member, held a pharmacy-themed art show 

designed to bring together the various health sciences communities served by the RAIC.  The 

name PharmArt was chosen for the pilot event to support American Pharmacists Month, with 

the majority of the marketing targeted to School of Pharmacy faculty, staff, and students.  

Submission requirements also included a local history of pharmacy theme, to encourage artists 

and viewers to connect their learning with the event. 

Library staff released requests for art submissions on the health sciences campus during the 

summer of 2015 through social media accounts and print advertising displayed in campus 

libraries and health sciences buildings.  The PharmArt gala was scheduled for October 13th from 

noon to 1pm.  The submission process asked that prospective artists submit information about 

their works through a Google form, which was also accessible through a QR Code created at 

Kaywa.com.  Artists were informed through email communications from library staff as to when 

and where to submit their artwork during the event.  As the event date approached, internal 

reminders about the event were emailed to faculty and staff.  Pharmacy faculty were asked to 

promote the event to their students.  Student library staff were trained to answer common 

questions about submissions, contest details, and the event, as well as encourage participation 

and attendance to anyone inquiring. 

The library decided to organize the event in the style of a gala in the hopes of drawing 

additional interest.  To meet this end, the gala event organizers obtained a $500 budget from 

the University Library to purchase food and drinks, prizes, and necessary exhibit staging for 

artwork and decorations.  Knowing food would be a popular inducement, funds were set aside 

for that purpose in addition to the library purchasing door and participation prizes for the top 

three art pieces to be awarded in the days following the PharmArt art show.  The prizes 



Art Show Paints a Collaborative Picture  
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Hypothesis, vol. 29, no. 2, Fall/Winter 2017                                                                           26                                                                                

 

selected were a one-terabyte external hard drive, a $25.00 Amazon gift card, a university tote 

bag, and a $15.00 iTunes card.  These were allocated as first, second, third, and door prizes 

respectively.  Prizes were awarded through the use of raffle tickets given to attendees as they 

entered.  Mention of raffle prizes and free food played a part in the in-house and online 

marketing campaigns. 

During the event, the library remained open, however users were informed that the event 

might be disruptive.  Art pieces were placed on display with a card stating title, artist, and art 

medium on the day of the event and, during the event, artists were encouraged to stand near 

their art and discuss it with viewers.  Raffle tickets were given to PharmArt exhibit attendees for 

a door prize and also used as voting ballots for patrons’ favorite art pieces. These tickets were 

tallied after the event day and prizes were awarded and ribbons placed.  All art pieces were 

assigned numbers which were displayed prominently on the title card, which was used to 

record the vote selection. 

At the event, attendees were encouraged to mingle while enjoying the different art displays 

and then place a vote for the piece they liked best by dropping their ticket, with contact 

information and vote recorded on the back, in a secured box.  After the show, votes were 

tallied and winners determined based on number of votes.  The art remained on display for 

several weeks following the exhibition.  

The library determined the number of students, faculty, and staff who attended the event by 

conducting patron counts at the beginning, middle, and end of the event, and by asking all 

attendees to put their basic information on a ticket used to vote for the best art work.  In order 

to exclude patrons who were in the library for more traditional use, such as studying, 

attendance counts for PharmArt was checked against the number of tickets collected, removing 

library users who did not participate in the PharmArt event from the final attendance count.  

 

Results 
 

To determine if the PharmArt program theme and marketing efforts netted a broader audience 

and increased online engagement, the library compared metrics collected from a prior event.  

First, the research team assessed attendance and social media ‘hits’ from PharmArt to the same 

information recorded during an earlier event held at the library, the Better Hearing and Speech 

Month (BHSM) kickoff party. Compared to data collected from the BHSM event in May of the 

same year, PharmArt successfully increased the target demographic attendance in the library, 

and increased the library’s social media presence.  



Art Show Paints a Collaborative Picture  
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Hypothesis, vol. 29, no. 2, Fall/Winter 2017                                                                           27                                                                                

 

Attendance at PharmArt recorded an increase of 347% above BHSM.  A total of 67 individuals 

attended the art show, improving the attendance numbers from the previous BHSM program, 

which drew only 15 attendees (Table 1). Over the course of the PharmArt gala, 67 raffle tickets 

were handed out and 60 votes were received, indicating a willingness of attendees to 

participate and contribute to the event.  All metrics for social media also indicated a marked 

increase (Table 1).  Facebook metrics showed a gain in posts (+393.33%), shares/reactions 

(+1200%), cumulative reach (+24.07%), and click-throughs (+2223.53%).  The library’s PharmArt 

blog post hits experienced a gain of 23.08% over BHSM. 

 
 

Better Hearing & Speech Month 
May 2015 

 

PharmArt 
October 2015 

Total Attendance 15 67 

  Student  11 54 
  Faculty  3 7 

  Staff  1 6 

Blog Post Hits 26 32 

Facebook Page Posts 6 29 

Facebook 
Shares/Reactions 2 26 

Facebook Cumulative 
Reach 108 134 

Facebook Click Throughs 17 395 

Table 1. Physical Attendance and Social Media Engagement 

Additionally, it was demonstrated anecdotally that the target community was interested in 

participating in an art show.  Student staff workers regularly answered queries about the event 

in the month leading up to the gala and, by the date of the gala, the library had received a rich 

cross section of representation of art works in a variety of two-dimensional and three-

dimensional media.  All 11 art pieces that artists submitted for the art show were approved and 

included in the event.  The ratio of university patron types participating was diverse, with 4 

students, 3 faculty and 2 staff comprising the cohort of 9 artists. Furthermore, art was 

submitted not only from the School of Pharmacy, but also from other areas of the university: of 

the 11 art submissions, 6 came from the School of Pharmacy, 3 from the University Library, 1 

from Computer Engineering, and 1 from the Business program.  

 



Art Show Paints a Collaborative Picture  
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Hypothesis, vol. 29, no. 2, Fall/Winter 2017                                                                           28                                                                                

 

Discussion 
 

Compared to previous library programming, the engagement metrics reveal that PharmArt 

generated interest and participation amongst the faculty, staff, and students in the Thomas J. 

Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.  The use of a common creative interest allowed 

these normally separate groups to engage in a more casual atmosphere that helped to remove 

some of the barriers experienced within a university setting.  Participants included members of 

the different departments and disciplines of the school.  Verbal feedback from participants 

provided during the event was positive and showed that the library can be a place for 

engagement as well as learning.  

The primary goal of increasing student and faculty engagement for an active, participatory 

library program was achieved.  Not only did RAIC notice improvement for in-person attendance, 

but online engagement and interaction increased as well.  An art show, in particular, may help 

online and social media marketing of the library since it is a visual, aesthetic medium that 

complements online spaces. 

The secondary goal of exploring interest in a library-hosted art program revealed that interest is 

very good, as the ratio of art participants included members from the three targeted patron 

groups: students, faculty and staff.  Furthermore, the majority of art gala attendees 

participated in the art show itself through voting for their favorite art pieces. 

Previous events at the library, such as BHSM, did not include active participation and were 

unsuccessful in generating engagement and participation.  By finding a common creative 

interest and developing a program that brought all together, the library space transformed 

from the everyday usage as a study and snacking area to a collaborative engagement area, 

where students, faculty, and staff mingled, interacted and participated in a pop-up art gallery.   

 

Limitations 
 

A major limitation is that the research primarily calculates the quantitative increase in patron 

engagement of PharmArt within the library and online in social media but does not assess 

qualitative data.  Samples of qualitative data that would be relevant and helpful to discuss 

include whether patrons enjoyed the art show, found it useful, or learned something new.  As 

only one PharmArt event has been held, future shows could include qualitative assessments or 

interviews, and this data could be combined with engagement metrics to build a more 

complete picture on the quality of engagement with the attendees.  



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Hypothesis, vol. 29, no. 2, Fall/Winter 2017                                                                           29                                                                                

 

Another limitation in the study concerns other events or factors that could influence 

attendance.  The timing of events, for example, could be construed as potentially helping or 

hurting attendance.  In this study, attendance at BHSM was held in the time leading up to mid-

term exams and also just before the release of speech therapy students for their summer 

break, whereas PharmArt was held following mid-terms: as such, the difference could be 

construed to affect attendance.  Time of year could also have an effect, as students in spring 

semester may be more interested in outside activities, whereas fall semester weather may be 

more conducive to indoor activities and events.  The seasonal difference could also affect 

online engagement if patrons are more interested in outdoor activities in the spring rather than 

the fall. 

 

Future Directions 
 

The success of the first PharmArt show has led the RAIC to begin developing future programs 

involving art and examining how this active participation can help students develop skills for 

stress relief and confidence building.  The use of art in pharmacy curricula is very limited but 

has shown to be helpful in other health science disciplines. Multiple studies on observing the 

effects of art on student development and pedagogies have been conducted primarily in 

medical school programs, and can provide outcomes that encourage discussion and 

understanding as it relates to patient care [13]. For example, in one study, a cross-disciplinary 

approach for developing medical insight incorporated the use of visual arts with medical 

themes: following the evaluation of artwork, students self-reported the positive development 

of observation, decision-making, reflection, and confidence-building skills [14]. In another 

study, medical students who took part in an arts-based learning course noted enhancement of 

awareness in self, improvement in self-confidence and self-care, increased preparation for 

stress, and development of communication and team-building skills [15]. In a study where 

students created and presented original artwork based on interactions with individuals living 

with chronic diseases, creative art was found to impact personal growth, self-discovery, sense 

of community and collaboration skills [16]. Medical education studies such as these can help 

inform the development of research in pharmacy education that incorporate interdisciplinary 

activities, forming a nexus between art and science that could help future pharmacists develop 

important self-awareness and community-building tools.  

Recently revised education and accreditation standards in Pharmacy now include 

interdisciplinary and metacognition elements and programs such as PharmArt can help schools 

and colleges meet these requirements [17, 18]. At the RAIC, future research is planned to 



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Hypothesis, vol. 29, no. 2, Fall/Winter 2017                                                                           30                                                                                

 

determine the effect of art and creativity on professionalism, stress relief, and confidence in 

health professional students.  

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