8 Library Jeopardy

Welcome to Library Jeopardy!

Applied Skills

• Formulating quick, coherent answers to directional questions.
• Critical thinking under a time constraint.
• Collaboration, communication, and cooperation.

Getting Started

This learning activity is designed in such a way that it can be adapted to different modalities. The complete Library Jeopardy package contains all the information needed for the activity: game guidelines, twenty-nine category questions, a Daily Double question, and a Final Jeopardy question. The educator enacting this activity therefore has the discretion to set up the activity in such a way that is suited to their classroom. In a classroom with a whiteboard, for example, the professor could draw a simple 6×5 grid to represent the questions’ monetary values, then read the corresponding clues from a printout. In the absence of a whiteboard, a similar setup could be achieved by writing the monetary values on individual sheets of paper and arranging them in a 6×5 grid pattern. In a classroom with a projector or a SmartBoard, the educator could copy and paste the Library Jeopardy questions into a free PowerPoint or Google Slides template. Multiple such templates and video tutorials are included under References.

Library Jeopardy requires a host to read aloud the clues, to indicate whether the question submitted is correct, and to award and deduct points. These roles lend themselves rather naturally to the educator enacting the activity, but they can be delegated if desired.

As this version of Jeopardy is designed for the classroom, the students present should be divided into three teams. Each team should select a spokesperson to announce their answers in the form of a question. Collaboration and communication between teammates is strongly encouraged.

Game Guidelines

Many people who live in North America have at least a passing familiarity with Jeopardy, the long-running television quiz show where answers are delivered in the form of a question. Founded in 1964, the program has won numerous Emmy Awards and remains one of the most consistently watched shows nationwide (Britannica).

This introductory LIS learning activity, designed with the program’s contemporary rules and regulations in mind, unfolds much like a typical game of Jeopardy. This version of the game has six categories, each of which has five associated category questions; a Daily Double question; and a Final Jeopardy question.  Twenty-nine of the thirty category questions correspond to a monetary value which represents the points awarded for responding correctly. All answers are to be submitted in the form of a question. The team with the most points at the end of the tournament wins the game.

The team to go first will select a category and a monetary value. The corresponding clue will then be read aloud by the host. Any team may respond to category questions. The first team to respond correctly will receive the dollar value of the clue and the opportunity to select the next clue from the board. Responding incorrectly will deduct the dollar value of the clue from the team’s score. The other teams may then respond to the clue.

Teams have thirty seconds to respond after the clue is announced. If time runs out or none of the teams submit the correct response, the host will then read aloud the correct question before moving on with the game.

Hidden among the category questions is the Daily Double! When the Daily Double question is chosen, only the team that selected that category/amount may respond to the clue. Before the clue is read, this team will wager a monetary amount, ranging in value from $0 to their current total. If the clue is answered correctly, the amount wagered will be added to their total. If the clue is answered incorrectly, the wagered amount will be deducted from their total.

After the board is cleared of the twenty-nine category questions and the Daily Double, the teams will proceed to the Final Jeopardy question. The host will announce the category, upon which the teams will have fifteen seconds to decide how much they wish to wager. This wager can range in value from $0 to their current total. The host will then announce the clue. All teams will have thirty seconds to write down their answer in the form of a question. If the clue is answered correctly, the amount wagered will be added to their total. If the clue is answered incorrectly, the wagered amount will be deducted from their total. The team that emerges from the Final Jeopardy round with the highest dollar amount will be declared the winning team.

Category Questions

Reference and User Services

Question: What is a reference interview? ($100)

Answer: This informal interaction helps the librarian to clarify the patron’s information need.

Question: What is an information need? ($200)

Answer: A fixture of the reference desk, this term refers to a request or desire for information.

Question: What is communication? ($300)

Answer: This constitutes the act of giving, receiving, and exchanging ideas through mutually understood language.

Question: What is cultural competency? ($400)

Answer: The opposite of ethnocentrism, this value requires individuals to reflect on their intersectional identities to become culturally aware of the heritage of others.

Question: What is usability? ($500)

Answer: This term describes how effectively, efficiently, and satisfactorily a user can interact with a user interface.

Datasets and Databases

Question: What is a database? ($100)

Answer: Ubiquitous in the library and computer sciences, this term signifies a repository of collected data.

Question: What is an asterisk? ($200)

Answer: Applied in a database search, this symbol expands a database search to include variations and pluralism of the root word.

Question: What is an algorithm? ($300)

Answer: This term encompasses the rules followed in computer calculations and/or retrieving information.

Question: What is a boolean/what is a boolean operator? ($400)

Answer: Also used in computer programming, this conjunction is used to expand or narrow a database search.

Question: What is truncation? ($500)

Answer: This function expands a database search to include pluralism and variations of the root word.

At Home in the Archives

Question: What is paper? ($100)

Answer: Now a mass-produced material, these long chains of cellulose are the basis of many a library archive.

Question: What is psychrometry? ($200)

Answer: Necessary for climate control, this mathematical concept describes the inverse relationship of temperature and relative humidity.

Question: What is restoration? ($300)

Answer: By nature irreversible, this is the process of returning an object to its original condition.

Question: What is conservation? ($400)

Answer: By nature reversible, this is the practice of extending the lifespan of the information present within an object.

Question: What is vellum? ($500)

Answer: Known colloquially as “tawed pigskin,” this material has historically been used for bookbinding.

Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Initialisms

Question: What is the American Library Association / What is the ALA? ($100)

Answer: Founded in 1876, this organization represents the interests of all American libraries.

Question: What is the Reference and User Services Association / What is RUSA? ($200)

Answer: This organization sets guidelines for how reference librarians should interact with library patrons.

Question: What is ILL / What is Interlibrary Loan? ($300)

Answer: This acronym refers to the practice of sharing materials between libraries.

Question: What is a P.E.S.T. analysis / What is a Political, Economic, Social, and Technological Analysis? ($400)

Answer: Commonly sought after in business librarianship, this analytical model is used to gauge social and environmental factors that could affect the profitability of a company.

Question: What is LOCKSS / What is Lots of Copies Keeps Stuff Safe? ($500)

Answer: A common practice in librarianship, this security strategy protects data across multiple modalities.

Philosophy of Librarianship

Question: What is information literacy? ($100)

Answer: This pedagogical concept describes the ability to locate, evaluate, and apply information.

Question: What is ethics? ($200)

Answer: These moral principles govern a person’s behavior and decisions.

Question: What is social justice? ($300)

Answer: This ideal delineates that everyone deserves equal and equitable economic, educational, and sociopolitical opportunities.

Question: What is social work? ($400)

Answer: Concerned with fulfilling the needs of individuals, families, and the wider world, this professional discipline is becoming increasingly important to the operation of public libraries.

Question: What is constructivism? ($500)

Answer: This pedagogical philosophy constructs learning from real-life experience(s).

Information Resources

Question: What is a librarian? ($100)

Answer: This information literacy specialist aids library patrons in finding resources.

Question: What is a card catalog? ($200)

Answer: Before the widespread digitization of library materials in North America, this filing system was used to list, locate, and organize library materials. It is still prevalent in smaller libraries and other parts of the world.

Question: What is a LibGuide? ($300)

Answer: Frequently found on library websites, this aggregated resource helps patrons to navigate library resources.

Question: What is a gazetteer? ($400, Daily Double)

Answer: Often appended to maps, this resource acts as a directory of geographical features.

Question: What is a gloss? ($500)

Answer: This marginal or interlinear index appeared in medieval manuscripts to define and/or translate words.

Final Jeopardy: Workplace Hazards

Question: What is mold?

Answer: Amorphous and acrid, this organism threatens humans and archival collections alike.

References

Arizona Department of Health Services. “Jeopardy Host / Game Operator Manual.” https://www.azdhs.gov/documents/prevention/azwic/agencies/trainers/lms/jeopardy-host-game-operator-manual.pdf.

Einsburg, Harry. Jeopardy! A Revealing Look Inside TV’s Top Quiz Show. E-Book, Frederick Fell Publishers, Inc., 1995.

Elmasri, Ramez., and Sham. Navathe. Fundamentals of Database Systems. 5th ed. Boston: Pearson/Addison Wesley, 2007. Print.

Gray, David E. (David Edward). Doing Research in the Real World. 2nd ed. Los Angeles: SAGE, 2009. Print.

iSpring. (2023, June 5). How to Make a Jeopardy Game in PowerPoint. [Video file]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6Y3aCRLEgE.

Noble, Safiya Umoja. Algorithms of Oppression : How Search Engines Reinforce Racism. New York: New York University Press, 2018. Print.

OpenStax. College Success. Rice University, 2022. https://openstax.org/details/books/college-success.

Wildemuth, Barbara M., ed. Applications of Social Research Methods to Questions in Information and Library Science. Second edition. Santa Barbara, California: Libraries Unlimited, 2017. Print.

Yahr, Emily. “Jeopardy!”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Oct. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Jeopardy-American-television-game-show. Accessed 17 November 2023.

Your Learning Center. (2021, August 12t). How to Create an Interactive Jeopardy! Game | With FREE Template! [Video file]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oy4oK6dtpow.