Investigate the Library: Pop Culture Workshops Lure Students In: Home

Presented by: Krista Montgomery Knapp, Kathryn Courtland Millis and Tiffany Hebb

Today’s college students have grown up using the Internet to fulfill many of their research and social needs.  Many are completely unaware of the wealth of sources and help accessible at a small school or public library, much less the even greater variety of specialized research material available at an academic library.  Librarians need to help students discover the depth and breadth of information available in physical library buildings, while also showcasing the warm, approachable personalities of librarians.

To draw students into the library, DePauw University librarians present workshops with themes based on popular television shows.  While the focus is on socializing, friendly competition, and having fun; students also engage in critical thinking, gain experience using library resources, and practice working as a team.  Most importantly, students come to see librarians as creative and friendly people whom they feel comfortable approaching for help in the future.

This poster shows examples of our highly successful workshops based on “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” and “Survivor.”  Librarians will come away with ideas about how to plan workshops based on their own favorite television programs or the latest pop culture phenomenon.

Survivor Rules

1.     Survivors will be divided into five tribes.  Tribemembers must wear their tribal buffs at all times. 

2.   There will be 7 tribe challenges.  Tribemembers need to work together to complete the challenge.  The tribe who finishes the challenge first gets 5 points, the second-place tribe gets 4 points, third-place 3 points, and so on.

3.   For each round, there is a different theme.  For the rounds that require a question to be answered, the tribe must cite their source, and the source must come from the Survival Guide list of acceptable sources.  Answers are to be written on the blue post-it notes so cards can be re-used.

4.   The tribe with the most points at the end of 7 challenges will compete against each other for the title of Sole Survivor – and a prize.

5.   Please return your buff and all question cards at the end of the game so they can be used for future Survivor competitions.

CSI RULES:

1. 5 teams, 5 different cases
2. Preliminary exercise must be completed before first clue is given
3. Clues must be completed in order
4. Have to use source list
5. Have to cite sources used to answer the question
6. Clue #6 – must write a paragraph explaining who you think the suspect is and what prompted the murder
7. Clue #6 does NOT have to name the correct suspect, it is more important to put some thought into it and be creative
8. First team to complete preliminary exercise, all 6 clues, including Clue #6’s statement of the Prime Suspect and events leading up to the crime is the winner.
9. We’re available for help but will not answer the questions for you.

    

The information (including content and links) in this guide will not likely be updated after the time of the presentation. Please contact the presenter(s) with any questions.

Our workshops are based on the popular television shows "Survivor" and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," and are designed for up to twenty participants.  After dividing the students into five teams, a list of rules is read.  Each student receives a list of sources, called a "Survival Guide" for "Survivor" and a "CSI Toolkit" for "CSI."  Students are required to cite a source from the list to receive credit for their answers.  Both workshops take approximately one and a half to two hours to complete.

In "Survivor," "tribes" of three or four students compete against each other to answer questions or complete challenges in seven rounds.  Each round has a different theme: Survival, Literature/Art, Popular Culture, etc. Tribes are named by colors and each tribe member wears a bandana (to simulate the tribal buffs worn in the television show) in their tribal color.  The tribe to finish each round first receives five points, the second-place tribe receives four points, the third-place, three points, and so on.  At the end of seven rounds, the members of the tribe with the most points face off in a scavenger hunt for the title of Sole Survivor.  See other tab for sample "Survivor" questions.

In CSI, five teams of three or four students are first given a list of common forensic acronyms which they must decode before receiving the first clue.  Teams then interpret five pieces of forensic evidence using sources from their "CSI Toolkits."  Each team works on a different case so answers cannot be shared.  The final clue includes a suspect list from which the probable murderer must be identified.  The first team to solve their case wins the game.  See other tab for sample "CSI" clues.