by Sara Dixon, Head Editor, INALJ Kansas

Test Your Library Trivia Knowledge

One of my favorite programs that we do at my library is Trivia Thursdays. It’s one of the very few programs we have for the adult crowd, and it’s starting to gain a following. Since we do not have evening hours at the library, and since everyone knows that trivia goes better with beer, we decided to bring the “library” to the people. A local restaurant establishment has partnered with us to provide the venue, complete with a big screen and projector. Players form teams of up to four people. We go three rounds and cover topics from weather, to movies, to technology, to literature. We’ve had Gangster Trivia, Haiku Riddles, and even once had a “Shakespeare or the Bible” category, in which you had to determine where the quote came from: Shakespeare or the Bible (it’s harder than you’d think!). We’ve been doing this for a few months now, and we are starting to get a pretty good sized regular crowd. And new people are coming each week! What I love about trivia is the surprise and pride you feel when you find out you know something that you didn’t know you knew. We all have our strengths, and it can be so rewarding to see that in action.

I also love when I come to set up for the next week, and people are still talking about last week’s questions.

So, here’s some Library/Librarian trivia! Test your knowledge and see how you fare!
Answers are below.

1. From 1883 – 1929, Andrew Carnegie is credited with spending $55 million of his own fortune to open how many libraries, including my very own Wellington Public Library?
a. 1,876
b. 2,509
c. 3,245
d. 4,012

2. Which famous librarian went on to rename the Bureau of Investigation to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and head the agencies under eight different presidents?

3. Libraries have long inspired musicians, writers, and artists. Name the artist behind the raucous anthem “The Library” with lyrics such as
“The library, the library
Is the perfect place for me,
The library, the library,
You can hang out all day and it doesn’t cost a penny
The library, the library
Is the perfect place for me,
The library, the library
It’s such a big part of our community”

4. In a recent Pew survey, what percent of Americans said their community would be impacted if the local public library closed?
a. 65%
b. 23%
c. 90%
d. 50%

5. Who founded the nation’s first lending library in 1731?

6. How long is the bookshelf space at the Library of Congress?
a. 838 miles
b. 20 miles
c. 150 miles
d. 546 miles

7. What book is most often stolen from public libraries?

8. Give the first name of Mr. Dewey of Dewey Decimal Classification System fame.

9. What was the outcome of the Authors Guild v. Google case, which questions the legality of Google’s searchable book database and has significant implications for libraries?

10. What is the only university in Kansas to offer an accredited Master’s Program for Library and Information Studies?

 

—last chance!  don’t glance down unless you want the answers! —

 

 

Answers:
1. (b) 2,509 libraries
2. J. Edgar Hoover
3. Kimye Dawson – listen to it here! It’s pretty awesome!
4. (b) 90 percent; 67 percent individuals said it would impact them or their family.
5. Ben Franklin founded the Library Company of Philadelphia, our nation’s first lending library.
6. (a) 838 miles! The collections include more than 36 million books and other print materials, 3.5 million recordings, 13.7library million photographs, 5.5 million maps, 6.7 million pieces of sheet music and 69 million manuscripts.
7. Guinness Book of Records!
8. Melvil (Melville Louis Kossuth Dewey)
9. The case was dismissed! After eight years of litigation, US District Judge Denny Chin ruled that Google was protected under “fair use”.
10. Emporia State University