GEOCACHING: TREASURE HUNTING

Geocaching, the innovative   high tech-based "treasure hunting" "digital game" in the web world has opened another door for libraries to meet the demands as a social, educational and cultural centre in information acquisition, exchange and dissemination beyond the four walls of a library.  There are much behind-the-scene hard work   in the planning, designing and implementation stages to create  the hub of geocaches, depending on the goals and objectives of libraries concerned.   The so-called "scavenger hunt" activities can ignite and strengthen competitive team spirit between  participant groups.   It may be used  as an educational tool, training the  treasure hunters to become more alert and patient in following instructions, analyzing given instructions to scout around from clues kept in obscurity, thus sharpening one's mind while on the trails of hunting;  cultivating a person to develop his or her potentials to become either a leader or a follower in the course geocaching. Hence through  the fun way, geocaching is a way to test a  person's  ability and endurance, thus helping to  develop  one's mindset and  attitude to face their own challenges in life. All in all, if geocaches are well designed, there are  endless benefits including gain of knowledge, interaction with people,  character building of participants  engaged in the geocaching treasure hunt.

Geochaching can be beneficial to libraries that have the resources (manpower, facilities, time and dollars and sense all inclusive) to design  and implement geocaches. e.g.  in academic libraries, freshman orientation is one area that that notably use geocaching to ease  the problem of limited manpower to conduct the orientation programs in universities with high-intake of new students. Also libraries can coordinate with teaching staff to help design a meaningful course program  for the students  with multiple end results to all parties concerned:- gearing participants to learn how to  use either the in-house library resources or off campus via geocaching,  educators can design   their lessons with the help of librarians   to guide students towards more independent studies and undertaking research projects and not be spoon fed by just handout notes etc. thus, enhancing the teaching-learning experience.

Public libraries can also design geocaching programs to induct participants to  know on how to use the libraries' facilities and services effectively in their pursuit for information.  Perhaps public libraries may form partnership with  schools,  associations, sport clubs etc to organize  some civic education activities to kindle interests and  awareness of participants on social responsibility, a way to help them become more  responsible citizens. Activities  can be beyond the four walls of libraries with co-operative programs between libraries, schools, museums, cultural groups etc tapping available resources when faced with financial constraints.  The important underlying factors are the necessary manpower, time, and dollars and sense required to   cash on the available high-tech information hunting vehicles to make teaching and learning fun for all.  Sometimes it is not necessary to even re-invent the wheels, co-operation between libraries and other organisations, sharing respective resources  is a way  in some cost-saving for some geocaching projects rather than creating the new geocaches  in  solo when there are   manpower or financial constraints. Judging from  the geocachings websites, I came to the conclusionI that the trend is there for lmany libraries to catch up.

Enough thoughts on this geocaching topic. Now I have to swing to do the "Wrap Up" section now. Some food for thoughts below:

Saying of Confucius:

He who aims to be a man of complete virtue,

does not seek his food to gratify his appetite,

nor in his dwelling-place does he seek his ease;

he is earnest in what he is doing,

and careful in his speech;

he frequents the company of men of principle that he may be kept upright. 

Such a person may be said indeed to love to learn.

Saying of Mencius:

To dwell in the wide house of the world;

to stand in true attitude therein;

to walk in the wide path of men;

in success, to share one's principles with the people;

in failure, to live them out alone;

\to be incorruptible by riches or honors,

unchangeable by poverty,

unmoved by perils or power, --

these I call the qualities of great man.