Don’t judge a book by its cover is being put to the ultimate test leading up to Valentine’s Day, as the library hosts Blind Date with a Book.

“[It’s] basically a mystery book type thing,” librarian Chelsea Hamilton said. “There are books wrapped with colored paper with genres and themes of the book printed and glued on the top. So this way, the students won’t be left entirely in the dark and can pick and choose depending on their interests.”

The element of surprise is designed to motivate students to read more books.

“I think that it can even mean more than just a new way to experience stories,” freshman Indu Kancharla said. “Not a lot of people come into the library, and this also gives way for people to find a new hobby. All it takes is one try. You’re never going to know what you like unless you try new things. I feel like a Blind Date with a Book is kind of a gateway for students to find something else that they’d might want to put their time into in the near future.”

The event not only gives students a chance to read a book that might not have caught their eye on the shelf before, but it also gives an insight on what people might want to see in the library when they walk in.

“I’d gotten recommendations from teachers and students to see what types of books people are most attracted to,” Hamilton said. “From the recommendations I got, it lets me know what students like. I mean, it was all over the place. I really liked hearing what everybody else had an interest in reading. That also gave me some ideas on other books to buy based on what people are enjoying and what they’re reading.”

Even those that are already engrossed in reading books have a fresh change to look forward to.

“I’ve always loved reading,” freshman Tashnuva Ahmed said. “It’s always been something that I’ve enjoyed doing. But instead of just looking at the cover and reading the inside flap, it’s intriguing to kind of pick an anonymous book and just find out what happens along the way.”

In her first year on campus, Hamilton is taking nothing for granted and willing to try something different.

“I’m always looking for new, fun things to do,” she said. “So, if this is something that students and teachers enjoy with the whole mystery part of it, then I would be absolutely inclined to keep doing it for however long but once it starts getting repetitive, the appeal is kind of lost.”