Finding Your Path: How Sean Metcalf Brought Criss Library’s Story to Life

What does a library mean to a student? For some, it is a place to study or conduct research. For others, it is a space to connect with friends, discover something new, or relax between classes. For University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) graphic design student Sean Metcalf, it is all these things, and an opportunity to find your own path.

Metcalf’s illustration, created through a collaborative service-learning project celebrating Criss Library’s 50th anniversary, captures these experiences and highlights the library’s role in the UNO community. Selected for a promotional tote bag, his design has moved beyond the classroom into the hands of students and community members across campus and beyond.

The project paired graphic design students with Criss Library Director of Research and Instruction, and Fine Arts Librarian Tammi Owens, giving students the opportunity to create work for a real-world client while helping the library connect with its community.

Looking Beyond Books

When Owens was invited to instructor Joe Pankowski’s graphic design class to introduce the project, she encouraged students to look beyond the familiar image of a library filled with books and consider the many ways it shapes student life.

“Students tell the story of Criss Library to other students better than anyone else,” Owens said.

Metcalf and his group members, Ryan Hoffschneider and Mia Yochum, began by brainstorming and researching the library’s spaces and services. Their initial concepts focused on books and learning, but conversations with Owens encouraged them to explore a broader vision.

As part of the assignment, students examined library resources, services, and spaces to better understand what makes Criss Library meaningful to their peers. Metcalf considered everyday experiences, from studying and attending events to playing games, grabbing coffee, and relaxing between classes. These observations inspired the central concept, “Find Your Path,” which brings together the many ways students experience the library.

“I brought all these ideas into a central idea of finding your own path, whether it be on campus, in life, or right here in the UNO library,” Metcalf said.

Although Metcalf created the final illustration, the project was a group effort. He credits group members Hoffschneider and Yochum for their contributions to brainstorming, typography, and the color palette, as well as graphic design instructor Pankowski for connecting the class with the library. Metcalf also thanked Owens for her guidance throughout the process.

The finished design features Criss Library’s distinctive main staircase alongside colorful illustrations of people engaged in different activities. Together, the scenes portray a welcoming space that supports academic work, recreation, rest, curiosity, and connection.

For Owens, the design reflects the library’s role in helping students navigate both their academic and personal journeys.

“‘Find Your Path’ communicates the idea that we’re here to help students find their way through research, discovery, and life,” Owens said. She added that the illustrations capture “the everyday moments of student life set in a space we all know.”

From Classroom to Client Experience

Developing the final design required research, revision, and collaboration. Students presented concepts to Owens for feedback, considering the library’s goals and refining their ideas throughout the assignment.

This process is central to service learning, which connects classroom learning with meaningful community engagement. Rather than imagining a hypothetical client, students respond to an actual need, apply their skills, and create work intended for a real audience.

For Metcalf, working with a real client was a new and valuable challenge. Instead of receiving feedback only from an instructor and classmates, his group had to consider the library’s needs and respond to another perspective.

“At first, I felt like I had good ideas that were being shot down, but I realize now that my ideas were just stepping-stones to finding that perfect design to represent the library,” Metcalf said.

Pankowski sees these experiences as an important bridge between classroom learning and professional practice.

“Typically, students have to imagine a client that they are making an assignment for,” Pankowski said. “The only feedback they get usually is from the instructor and their peers. This is okay, but to have a real client adds authenticity to the experience.”

The partnership benefits both students and the library. Students gain practical experience working with a client, while Criss Library receives creative work informed by the perspectives of the students it serves.

Contributing to the library’s history made the achievement especially meaningful.

“It is so awesome that I can be just a small part of the library’s history here at UNO, especially being a student and spending so much time in that space,” Metcalf said

Owens also values the collaboration and its tangible results.

“It’s an honor for us to be able to partner with graphic design students every year,” Owens said. “It has been rewarding to work with Sean to make a tote bag that people are now carrying around campus and beyond.”

An Invitation to Find Your Path

The project changed how Metcalf approaches graphic design, teaching him to let ideas evolve rather than becoming too attached to an initial concept.

“This experience taught me not to fall in love with that first idea that pops in my head,” Metcalf said. “It might be a good idea, but it can evolve into something even greater if I allow myself the time and commitment to making something unique and transformative for a space like the UNO library.”

That lesson reflects the broader value of service learning. Through collaboration, feedback, and reflection, students develop their skills while contributing to their community. At the same time, community partners gain fresh perspectives and new ways to connect with the people they serve.

Through the “Find Your Path” tote bag, Metcalf and his collaborators have helped share a welcoming vision of Criss Library, one that recognizes the many ways students learn, connect, recharge, and grow.

As Criss Library celebrates its 50th anniversary, the project reminds us that the library’s story is shaped not only by its collections and spaces, but also by the people who use it and the possibilities they discover along the way. Purchase your 50^th anniversary tote bag at the service desk for $10.00 plus tax.

About Criss Library

The Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library fulfills the UNO mission through dynamic services, highly qualified and adaptive personnel, unique and extensive collections, and accessible learning spaces and environments. With its location on UNO’s Dodge Campus, Criss Library provides UNO students, faculty and staff, and the Omaha community with the resources and materials needed to excel academically and professionally.