FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
Quiz about Life as a Librarian
Quiz about Life as a Librarian

Life as a Librarian Trivia Quiz


I work as a librarian in an academic library, and wanted to write a quiz to show what a varied and interesting job it can be - we don't just stamp books!

A multiple-choice quiz by al99. Estimated time: 3 mins.
  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Quizzes
  4. »
  5. People Trivia
  6. »
  7. Occupational Trivia

Author
al99
Time
3 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
381,213
Updated
Aug 12 24
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Easy
Avg Score
9 / 10
Plays
976
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. One of the core tasks for librarians is buying resources and classifying them.
Which of these is NOT a classification scheme?
Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Librarians in more senior positions also have to manage staff, including setting individual SMART targets. Which of these is NOT one of things a SMART target should be? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Librarians make books reference only, meaning they can't be borrowed from the library because they want to stop people using them.


Question 4 of 10
4. Where would you be least likely to find a library? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Librarians in academic libraries show students how to use electronic resources. Which of these would they be most likely to be showing students? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. If a librarian cannot immediately answer a question from a customer what would they be most likely to say? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Higher education institutions often have a VLE which librarians contribute to. What does VLE stand for? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. What does OPAC stand for? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Libraries often promote their services and resources using social media. Which of these is a tweet a library would be unlikely to send? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. What do librarians wear to work? Hint



(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

arrow Select a User ID:
arrow Choose a Password:
arrow Your Email:




Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. One of the core tasks for librarians is buying resources and classifying them. Which of these is NOT a classification scheme?

Answer: London Scheme

The Dewey decimal system is a widely used scheme, first published by Melvil Dewey in 1876. It is regularly revised and the 23rd version was published in 2011. It divides all subjects into ten overall headings and then subdivides. The Library of Congress was developed by the US Library of Congress. Universal Decimal Classification is based on Dewey but has more flexibility and uses more symbols to indicate such things as format of the item.

Not all libraries use one of the standard schemes - some develop their own in house systems, whilst there are also specialist schemes that focus on one particular area. An example of this is Moys classification which is specifically for legal materials.
2. Librarians in more senior positions also have to manage staff, including setting individual SMART targets. Which of these is NOT one of things a SMART target should be?

Answer: Simple

Targets don't have to be simple, but they do have to be attainable by the member of staff or there is no point in setting the target. They have to be relevant to the person's job and they have to have a time scale or there is no way to say whether the target has been attained or not. The M stands for Measurable - it has to be possible to say whether the target has been hit or not.
3. Librarians make books reference only, meaning they can't be borrowed from the library because they want to stop people using them.

Answer: False

The are two common reasons for books to be used for reference only in the library. One is that they would be hard to replace if lost. This might be because they are out of print or very expensive. The second reason is that the library wants the item to be always available to use, such as dictionary or other reference books. University libraries will often make sure that all items on course reading lists have a least one copy for reference use only in the library so that all students can refer to it and not risk all copies being out. Of course some libraries do not allow any borrowing, all their items are for reference use only.
4. Where would you be least likely to find a library?

Answer: A farm

Although the roles of the staff working in each of these different kinds of libraries would be very different, law firms, universities and prisons all traditionally have libraries and librarians. A farm wouldn't normally have a library, but it's not impossible.
5. Librarians in academic libraries show students how to use electronic resources. Which of these would they be most likely to be showing students?

Answer: Databases the institution has subscribed to

Although there is nothing wrong with any of the sites listed, the role of the librarian in an academic library is to help students access resources for their work which has been selected and purchased specifically to support their course.
6. If a librarian cannot immediately answer a question from a customer what would they be most likely to say?

Answer: I can find that out for you

Librarians would never just say they didn't know the answer to a question, they would always try and find the answer. This might involve some research on the spot, or asking colleagues and getting back to the customer.
7. Higher education institutions often have a VLE which librarians contribute to. What does VLE stand for?

Answer: Virtual Learning Environment

A Virtual Learning Environment is an online space where academic and other staff can post course related material for students. It is protected by password access so what is posted there is not freely available to the wider web.
8. What does OPAC stand for?

Answer: Online Public Access Catalogue

The OPAC or Online Public Access Catalogue is the "user interface" where library users can search the catalogue to find what items the library has in stock. This can often be done online from wherever there is internet connection, or in the library at dedicated terminals.
9. Libraries often promote their services and resources using social media. Which of these is a tweet a library would be unlikely to send?

Answer: Librarians don't like ice cream

Changes to opening hours are often promoted using social media as well as online services and new resources. Generally an institutional account wouldn't give opinions about any subject, particularly not controversial ones.
10. What do librarians wear to work?

Answer: Whatever they want within the limits of their institutions' dress codes

This was a slightly tongue in cheek question to end with, but I wanted to make the point that the idea that all librarians dress in cardigans and wear their hair in a bun is simply not true!
Source: Author al99

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
Related Quizzes
This quiz is part of series Librarian Quiz Set:

This set includes quizzes about my favorite profession, librarianship. Enjoy!

  1. 10 Questions That Librarians May Need to Know Tough
  2. Dancing Librarians Easier
  3. Librarians Gone Mild; TV and Movie Images Tough
  4. Life as a Librarian Easier
  5. The Library Average

11/3/2024, Copyright 2024 FunTrivia, Inc. - Report an Error / Contact Us