History of Public Libraries
Library Services
In the movies
Around the world
Misc
100
This American industrialist funded the creation of over 2,500 libraries around the world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Who is Andrew Carnegie?
100
Most public libraries allow patrons to borrow these physical or digital items, typically for 2–3 weeks.
What are books?
100
This 1984 supernatural comedy famously features a ghost in the New York Public Library.
What is Ghostbusters?
100
This Nordic country is known for having one of the highest rates of library visits per capita.
What is Finland?
100
This quiet but expressive gesture is universally used in libraries to request silence.
What is “the shush” (index finger to lips)?
200
Often considered the oldest continually operating public library in the U.S., this Boston institution opened in 1854.
What is the Boston Public Library?
200
This type of room in a library is typically reserved for events, lectures, or community programs.
What is a meeting room?
200
In The Breakfast Club, five students spend a Saturday in detention inside this school location.
What is the library?
200
This library in Washington, D.C. is the largest in the world by collection size.
What is the Library of Congress?
200
This popular public library initiative allows you to “check out” a person and hear their story in a one-on-one conversation.
What is a Human Library?
instead of borrowing books, people "borrow" and have conversations with real people called "Human Books" who share their lived experiences and perspectives. Founded in Copenhagen in 2000
300
this ancient city was home to the legendary Library of Alexandria.
What is Alexandria (Egypt)?
300
Many libraries offer this kind of 1:1 help with resumes, job searches, or research.
What is reference or career assistance?
300
In The Day After Tomorrow, survivors hide from a global storm in this place.
What is the New York Public Library?
300
Bibliotheca Alexandrina is a modern homage to a legendary library in this country.
What is Egypt?
300
This “dewey-eyed” character from Parks and Recreation once said, “The library is the worst kind of government-funded parasite.”
Who is Ron Swanson?
400
The Library Act of 1850 enabled the creation of public libraries in this European country.
What is the United Kingdom?
400
This common service allows patrons to receive books or materials from another library system.
What is interlibrary loan (ILL)?
400
In The Shawshank Redemption, this character builds the prison library with donations and persistence.
Who is Andy Dufresne?
400
Located in Paris, this national library holds a vast trove of medieval manuscripts and French history.
What is the Bibliothèque nationale de France?
400
Some libraries have started lending out unusual items like tools, seeds, musical instruments, and even cake pans. What are these non-book collections commonly called?
What are Library of Things?
500
This groundbreaking library classification system was developed in 1876 and is still widely used today.
What is the Dewey Decimal System?
500
This technology-driven offering allows people without home internet to connect via mobile access points.
What is a Wi-Fi hotspot lending program?
500
In The Music Man, this strong-minded librarian resists the con man’s charms while cataloging books.
Who is Marian Paroo?
500
The world’s highest-altitude public library is located in this South American country’s capital city.
What is Bolivia?
500
This library mascot, introduced by the American Library Association, is a bespectacled lion who promotes library card sign-ups.
Who is Lionel the Library Lion?
