GEN: "Stump the librarian" and the Library Squad, too

["Alice H. Yucht" <YUCHT@ZODIAC.RUTGERS.EDU>]

For several years I did a variant of the Stump the Librarian, but also
involving student assistance to answer the questions.
The school had grades 4-8.  We usually planned this for the week before a
holiday, to keep interest up and students occupied.
Grades 4-6 were invited to submit questions, due (for example) on Monday.
Then the 7th grade Library Squad (a highly coveted position: not only did
you get out of study hall, but you got first dibs at the new books, help
with assignments, and pizza once a marking period -- in return for which I
got the cream of the highly motivated workers) "vetted" the questions for
duplicates, difficulty, and degree of strangemness., before sorting them
randomly for...the big day:
On the day before the holiday, the 8th grade Library Squad was allowed to
come to the library for a double period shift, to help answer up to 10
questions per hour.  successful responses were read over the PA system at
2 hour intervals, celebrating the questioner and the successful searcher.
Unsuccessful queries were announced at the end of the day, to give the
*rest* of the school the opportunity to go to the public library to attempt
to find the answer.
The kids loved it, the teachers understood the worth of the activity (even
if it broke up the school day), and the idea that information seeking could
be a game was the successful hidden message.
All I, as librarian , had to do was "assist" the student searchers... which
was fortunate, since some of the questions were real stumpers!
Alice H. Yucht