Libraries....Not just 'Shhhh!' any more! Quiz

Answer: Bookstore

Geoffrey Chaucer is credited with being the first person to use the actual word 'library.' The first libraries open to the public were in ancient Greece, but to prevent the valuable items from being stolen, all books were chained to the tables. Yikes!

Answer: What they are about (Subject) or who wrote them (Author)

Non-fiction (or 'true') books are arranged by what subject they cover. 'Fiction' (or 'made-up') books are usually organized according to the author's (writer's) last name.

Answer: Bookmobile

Even though I grew up in Los Angeles, there was no library building near my house. I looked forward to the arrival of the Bookmobile every Thursday afternoon when it came to a nearby park.

Answer: Movies, compact discs, magazines

Actually, some of the other items mentioned in the 'Wrong' answers might be found in some libraries, such as pets for adoption and laptop computers. Large public libraries and major university libraries have a tremendous variety of items available for their patrons. But 'spaghetti'...well...maybe not. You could find a cookbook on how to make spaghetti, though.

Answer: Ask the librarian!

Trust the librarians and their assistants to recognize popular books for children and young adults. I'm sure if you asked the Librarian in the Children's Section, he or she would say 'Hmmmmm. I'll bet your friend read "Little House On The Prairie."'

Answer: Other people might be waiting to read them

Nobody like to pay overdue fines, and a lot of people make fun of them. But if you look at the price of a hardcover book today, you'll see that it is almost impossible to find any that are less than $20.00. In order to keep a large number of books available to everyone who wants to read them, libraries need to get them back in a reasonable period of time.

Answer: Myths, fairy tales and joke books

Myths are considered to be legends about the history of particular countries or areas. Even though they may not be 'true', they are an important part of a country's culture. Fairy Tales are considered to be a special type of literature called a 'Folk Tale' and are also part of a country's culture. Jokes are considered to be a type of literature and are placed in the same area as plays, skits, puns, and puzzle books.

Answer: The Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Although I would like to think that my hometown library (Lompoc) is the largest, the Library of Congress has an astonishing 118 million books on its shelves, plus hundreds of thousands of other materials. Whew...it would take me a couple of years to read all those books!

Answer: Notify a library employee as quickly as possible

Libraries carry many books that are no longer available to purchase. Many of these are rare books and if pages are torn out of them, their value as a source of information is seriously reduced. Let a library employee know if something bad is happening; they will know what to do.

Answer: Calling your friends on your cell phone to see what they are doing later on

A lot of people make fun of the need for quiet in a library, but if you are chatting on a cell phone, you are disturbing others who come to a library just because they can find peace and quiet there in an otherwise noisy world. Certainly, you can have fun at the library, but it is definitely not a playground....it's a place to learn, expand your knowledge, and....dream....