Make Shields Library Part of your Picnic Day Destination
Color, collect and connect with library activities for all ages
UC Davis Picnic Day is Saturday, April 18, and we invite you to stop by Shields Library during your visit to campus! We’ll be offering fun activities for all ages between 11 a.m.- 2 p.m., including children’s storytime, special exhibits, souvenir recipe cards and postcards, AR/VR experiences with DataLab, and more.
Picnic Day: Destination Shields, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Storytime (11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.)
Bring your little ones for storytime in the library courtyard. Picture books will be read by librarians and library staff.
Archives and Special Collections exhibits
- Journey back in time with a Picnic Day-only special exhibit on UC Davis history and traditions.
- Enjoy new exhibits highlighting the Davis Farmers Market, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, and the centennial of Route 66.
Taste of Davis recipe cards
Take home delectable recipes sourced from our extensive cookbook collections. Each recipe has a Davis connection… collect them all!
Aggie-themed group study rooms
Check out our group study rooms, which recently received Aggie-themed makeovers to make them more inviting. Which room will be your favorite — Aggie Traditions, Arboretum, Bike, Egghead, History of Shields Library, Unitrans, University Farm or the Water Tower?
Coloring time
Add your creative touch to our souvenir postcards and take one home to mail to a loved one (or keep for yourself!).
VR experience @ DataLab
- Explore high-tech extended reality (XR) from the UC Davis DataLab! Make mountains in an Augmented Reality Sandbox (ages 5+); then put on a VR headset (ages 13+) to explore the sandbox “landscape” as it shifts and changes.
- Get curious about computers and coordinates as you crack codes and color alongside DataLab’s team of data scientists (all ages).
Historical Picnic Day films
Enjoy a cinematic celebration of Picnic Days past, dating back to 1941.
Enjoy Picnic Day from Anywhere
Can’t make the journey to Picnic Day this year? Revel in Aggie nostalgia at your convenience with our Picnic Day Digital Collection, our online exhibit Picnic Day: By the Decade, and historic Picnic Day films on our YouTube channel.
Picnic Day crowd, circa 1916