Outreach for Librarians: Trivia

Things to Think About: 

• Everybody walks away with something – even just a piece of candy for participating.  The goal is to get them to interact with you and have fun doing it so that they’ll come back to the library and maybe even work with a librarian.
• If they think the question is too hard, give them the option for a different question.  We’re not giving away $1,000,000.  We’re giving away candy and swag, and we want them to be successful.
• You can make lower value and higher value prizes based on the difficulty of the questions.
• Prizes can also be redeemed based on the number of questions answered correctly and the number of paperclips (or other inexpensive marker) they’ve earned.

Trivia

Objective:  Students will be able to show their knowledge by answering trivia questions.

Why: 

Trivia can be an easy event, flexible with whatever your event theme is, and can be done in a variety of ways.

Supplies:  a prize wheel, buzzers or other method to determine who is answering the question or what question they will be asked, prizes or other rewards, trivia questions

How To:

Prize Wheel – Sometimes the wheel has a white board surface where you can write your prompts, but if the wheel allows you to put paper inserts in the wheel slots, there should be a template that the company gives you so that you can type the prompt, print it, and then cut it out.

• Sample Prize Wheel Divisions – Easy Question/Harder Question (these can also be coded based on color), Spin Again, Candy
• Vary the colors of the prize wheel inserts based on the theme of your event

Buzzers – These can either have different sounds or light up so that you know who “buzzed” in first.

Prizes – This can also be done in a variety of ways – giving away library swag, other prizes or even food like cupcakes or cookies.

Variations on Trivia

• Constitution Day: Give students a copy of the U.S. Constitution for them to take home.  Ask them questions from the Constitution and allow them to look up the answer.  (i.e. What are two rights guaranteed in the First Amendment?  In Article 1, Section 1, what are the two legislative powers?)
• Valentine’s Day/Other Holidays – Asked themed questions – You may need to write your own questions.
• You can used pre-made trivia question cards.  Be aware of your audience and the level of difficulty.