The Pierce College Library is celebrating National Library Week with the hosting of Information Scavenger Hunt, an online information quiz, which will begin today and end Sunday evening.
The scavenger hunt, which appears as a shell under the “My courses” section of PierceOnline, is designed to teach students about various online resources and research methods, librarian Paula Paggi said.
“We tried to incorporate technology [this year],” she said. “I think it will be fun for the students.”
By participating in the 11-to-13-item short answer quiz, students will be automatically entered to win about a dozen prizes that include 8 GB USB drives, Freudian Sip cards and $50 Student Store vouchers.
“I didn’t want students to just guess,” library intern Kat Koziar who created the quiz said. “The point is not to get the answers, but to find them.”
Topics of the quiz will range from the history of the founding of libraries to financial aid, and answers can be found through college resources, like the Pierce College Library website.
“They aren’t library-specific questions,” Koziar said.
Upon submitting answers, participants receive feedback and additional information pertaining to questions in the quiz.
Also, upon clicking the shell for the Information Scavenger Hunt, students will be directed to a calendar of the library’s upcoming workshops.
“I hope students participate and poke around,” Koziar said.
Anyone with access to PierceOnLine, even faculty members, can participate in the quiz. However, only students are eligible for the prizes.
The prizes, some feel, are a good incentive for students to participate in the online activity.
“It could be a good thing, especially since they’re offering prizes for it,” Jamie Mrasz, a 22-year-old psychology major, said. “People want to work for something.”
But other students think this online activity is unreasonable for college students.
“The idea is noble, [but it’s] also inefficient because college students have the mentality of doing just enough work, not more work,” philosophy major Patricia Arreola, 19, said. “Multiple choice would be easier.”
This year, National Library Week – an annual countrywide observance sponsored by the American Library Association – takes place from April 8 to 14 with the theme of “You Belong @ Your Library.”
In addition to the Information Scavenger Hunt, a display case depicting the event has been set up in the first floor of the library.
This is the third year the Pierce College Library is observing the event. Previous activities included a display case and raffle, a bake sale, and a presentation of the floor plan of the new library building.
National Library Week events and activities usually attract several hundred participants, according to Paggi.
“We expect the [same kind] of response this year,” she said.
