Library Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. What is the main purpose of a book's call number?
To summarize the book's subject and argument
To record how many times the book has been borrowed
To identify the book's current borrower
To show where the book belongs on the shelves
2. A printed encyclopedia is marked “Library Use Only.” Where would you most likely expect to find it?
In the circulating fiction collection
In the reference collection
In the book-return area
In the reserved-items pickup area
3. Every circulating copy of a popular book is currently checked out. What does placing a hold usually do?
Adds you to a queue to borrow an available copy
Extends the current borrower's loan indefinitely
Purchases a personal copy using your library account
Converts a reference copy into a circulating copy
4. A historian is studying public reactions during a past event. Which item would be a primary source for that research?
A recent textbook chapter summarizing the event
A modern documentary about the event
A diary written by someone who witnessed the event
An encyclopedia entry listing the event's key dates
5. A borrowed book is due soon, nobody else has requested it, and you need more time. What should you try first?
Place the same title on hold
Renew the loan through the library's approved system
Ask the library to change its publication date
Return it through interlibrary loan
6. Your library does not own a scholarly book you need, but another library does. Which service may help you borrow it?
Interlibrary loan
Digital archiving
Reader advisory
Automatic renewal
7. You want to know whether your local library owns a particular novel. Which tool should you check first?
A general web search engine
The library's events calendar
An academic journal database
The library's online catalog
8. You paraphrase a researcher's original idea in your paper. What should you normally do?
Use quotation marks but omit the source
List the source only if the researcher requests it
Cite the source even though you used your own wording
Treat the idea as your own because it was paraphrased
9. What does it generally mean when a work is in the public domain?
It has been checked and endorsed by a government agency
It may be viewed only inside public libraries
It is not restricted by copyright and may generally be reused without permission
It may be copied only for school assignments
10. You find two web pages making conflicting claims. Which check is most useful for judging the authority of each source?
Compare which page has the more attractive design
Choose the page that appears first in search results
Investigate the author's expertise and the publisher's reputation
Prefer whichever page has the shorter web address
11. In a database search, what usually happens when you place AND between two keywords?
Results include either concept but not both
Results generally must include both concepts
The database searches only for an exact phrase
The database removes both concepts from the results
12. Which classification system is especially common in large academic and research libraries?
International Standard Book Number system
Library of Congress Classification
Modern Language Association style
Boolean classification
13. Which detail most strongly suggests that an article has gone through scholarly peer review?
It is available through the library website
Its author has written several popular books
It contains photographs and a list of links
The journal states that subject experts evaluate submissions before publication
14. A catalog says the book you want is available at another branch in the same library system. What is usually the most suitable next step?
Request the book for pickup at a convenient branch, if transfers are offered
Report your branch's copy as missing
Submit a request to have the book digitized permanently
Create a new catalog record for the title
15. Your search for information on “jaguars” returns results about both animals and cars. What is the best way to focus on the animal?
Search only for the word “information”
Sort the current results by title without changing the query
Replace the keyword with a broader term such as “things”
Add specific terms such as “animal,” “habitat,” or “Panthera onca”
16. In the Dewey Decimal Classification, which broad subject is represented by the 500s?
Science
Literature
History and geography
Social sciences