Library Trivia Quiz: George Washington, Hermione & Those Famous Lions

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Keep reading to find the latest episode of the Using Our Library Voices Podcast, this month for the pod's 5th Anniversary we discuss our library journeys.

Contrary to the popular stereotype, not all librarians are mousy little spinsters who love nothing more than sternly shushing anyone having anything that resembles a good time within the hallowed precincts of the library, nor are they seething hypersexed bombshells kept in check only by drum-tight chignons and the top buttons of their silky blouses. Librarians have been typecast, but the reality is often more interesting, diverse and surprising. The fact is that librarians are part educator, part IT professionals, part community coordinators — all fueled by a combination of soft and hard skills, a love for the ideals that public libraries embody, and not just a little strong coffee.

Still, libraries' and librarians' hold on the collective imagination is strong. We have visions of vast, maze-like collections of the world's common heritage and the very real possibility that life-changing knowledge may sit waiting in some forgotten book tucked away on a shelf, and the unassuming librarian patiently waiting to guide us to it. While the reality may not be nearly so gothic, libraries are full of wonders as well as facts. We've put together a tough little trivia quiz to test you on some of the more esoteric library facts.

Library Trivia

The bad news is that this quiz is pretty tough even for librarians. The good news is that you can find all the answers at your nearest public library.

Who said "When in doubt, go to the library"?
In what year was the first woman appointed Librarian of Congress?
Despite the widespread use of his classification system in public libraries to this day, Melvil Dewey (of Dewey Decimal System fame) is widely disliked by librarians and non-librarians. Why?
Whose personal library constituted the core collection on which the Library of Congress, the world's largest library, was built?
You've seen the famous lion statues outside the New York Public Library in countless movies and TV shows. What are their names?
If you put all of the U.S. Library of Congress' 167 million items on a single shelf, how long would it be?
George Washington famously (and probably apocryphally) could not tell a lie, but he wasn't great about returning books he borrowed. Washington borrowed The Law of Nations in 1789. How long did it take the book to find it's way back to the library?
One of the first great libraries of the ancient world that we know of housed nearly 400,000 scrolls according some scholars. It was eventually destroyed by fire in two different incidents (and, yes, library people still hold a grudge). Where was the library located?
Superheroes have to pay the rent, too. What comic book character worked as a librarian when he/she wasn't out fighting crime?
Surprisingly, public libraries outnumber McDonald's franchises in the U.S. How many more libraries are there than McD's?
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Once you’ve tested your library trivia chops, tune in to the latest episode of HCPL’s podcast, where our librarians take off their metaphorical cardigans and get candid about what drew them to the profession. You’ll hear stories of childhood library crushes (on books, mostly), career detours that somehow led to the stacks, and those small, unexpected moments—like helping someone print their first résumé or find the perfect bedtime story—that remind them why libraries matter.

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The trivia quiz was compiled with help from the HCPL Website Content Team including Sarai A, Anjela M, Rachel A, & Amanda RP.

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