'What Kind of Librarian Are You?' Quiz

If you're on Facebook, then your Newsfeed is likely full of friends' results from online quizzes. These quizzes ask, for example: "Which U.S. City Should You Live In?", "What Tarot Card Are You?", and "How Well Do You Know Star Wars Legends?"
 

Hmmm...what kind of librarian should YOU be?
Image via Twitter

One such quiz that popped up in my Newsfeed recently is "What Kind of Librarian Are You?" I assumed that it and the other quizzes were from BuzzFeed, a social news and entertainment website. However, the bulk of them (the most recent ones, anyway) were created by PlayBuzz, a start-up company based in Tel Aviv, Israel. "Targeted specifically at the U.S. market, PlayBuzz posts quizzes, questions meant to engage users with response, and the 'listicles,' that BuzzFeed pioneered," according to a July 8, 2014, Wall Street Journal article.

The "What Kind of Librarian Are You?" quiz from PlayBuzz is comprised of eight questions and/or requests that are intended to determine which area of the library profession is right for you. The questions and/or requests are: 1) Pick a cocktail; 2) If you were a Dewey Decimal number, what would you be? [I hope you remembered what you learned, or are learning, in your cataloging class!]; 3) Pick a cat; 4) Which event would you be most likely to attend?; 5) Pick a gluten-free snack; 6) It's a rainy Saturday night. What movie do you want to watch? [None of the movies were ones I'd want to watch]; 7) What's your favorite NW [Pacific Northwest] musical act?; and 8) Pick a banned book.

When taking this online quiz, I and all my friends got the same result ("Reference Librarian"), which I found interesting. Right before I typed up this blog post, I decided to take it again - this time picking some answers just for the sake of being contrary - and I got a different result ("Teen Librarian"). To see what you come up with, take the quiz at THIS LINK. Perhaps it will shed some light on what kind of librarian you should be. Or not.

Yes, Reading Actually Improves Your Life

Ever since I was small, I've read. And reading my favorite stories inspired me to write stories of my own. So I know that this lifelong pastime is largely responsible for me becoming the writer that I am. Along with stirring my imagination, the act of reading has also broadened my vocabulary immensely.
 

Image via dropping-keys.webs.com

Making you into a better writer and strengthening your vocabulary are two of the twelve ways that reading can actually improve your life, according to BuzzFeed. Other benefits of picking up a book include:

Less stress: Reading "transports you and your worried mind to another place, so you won't feel so overwhelmed with the hardships of everyday life," said BuzzFeed. "And a 2009 study found that reading for just six minutes can reduce stress levels up to 68 percent."

Greater empathy: "Through reading," said BuzzFeed, "you're able to conceive of a life beyond your own insular one. Reading about a culture other than your own helps you to understand their way of life. In that way, it helps you to empathize with other people and connect with different cultures."

Better memory: Each "time you read, you create a new memory of what you've read - essentially exercising your brain muscles. With each new memory, your brain forges new synapses, strengthens existing ones, and helps to keep your memory sharp," reported BuzzFeed.

More smarts: Anne E. Cunningham "discovered that being an avid reader actually does make you smarter. It not only helps you retain information, but it also helps you maintain knowledge through old age," said BuzzFeed. "Whether or not you're aware of it, reading fills your head with new information, and you never know when it will come in handy."

Reading also boosts your analytical skills; means you're likelier to vote, exercise, and be more cultural; and makes you sexier! To find out how, see the BuzzFeed article "12 Scientific Ways Reading Can Actually Improve Your Life" at THIS LINK.