The game “Great Google Library Challenge” is a trivia game created by Fred Sweet, Cornerstone’s director of Miller Library. This game was created last semester to give CU students a fun and challenging resource to learn how to efficiently research on Google and Miller Library’s Internet resources.

“We make up our own questions, attempting to challenge students to find the best answers using either Google or library Web sites. We are convinced that the most efficient and complete and authoritative answers will be found using library resources, whether in print or in our online databases,” Sweet said.

Last semester, the questions were posted on the CUBE for seven consecutive weeks, on Tuesdays, right after chapel. Each winner was given a choice of a $15 gift card for Celebration Cinema or Barnes and Noble. The prizes may change this semester.

The first question, posted on Nov. 6, was, “The Antichrist is a figure in biblical literature, but is also a figure in Islamic faith. Where is he mentioned in Islamic literature, and how is he described? What is the source for your answer?”

The answers for the questions can be found using Google and the library’s research engine. The student who found the correct answer to the first question was Jordan Bunt. Some of the other winners of the game include Melissa Marquez, Mike Carr and Kristine Swaney.

Round two of the Great Google- Library Challenge began March 17 at 3 p.m. and will run for seven weeks.  The questions can be found on the Eagle’s Nest, and the answers can be e-mailed to reference@cornerstone.edu. The game will have new questions this semester.

According to the CUBE, the first question for this semester challenged students to “find the original restaurant that created Buffalo Wings, and provide two full text business articles that provide a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) on this restaurant.”

The correct answer was the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, N.Y. Zach Vinson was the first student to submit the correct answer.

“We aren’t sure how many play the game, but typically we get a dozen or more responses to each question. I suspect that many others try it, but never get to the answer,” Sweet said. “But we would like to see more students try it.”

“For those who think of it as ‘either the Internet or the library,’ we aim to show that much of the library is already on the Internet, including library databases found on the ‘deep web,’” Sweet said. “The purpose is not to suggest Google is inadequate or to dismiss its value, but rather to show its increased effectiveness when used in tandem with library resources, and that by itself, Google searches often lack in both efficiency and completeness.”

This game is also designed to help students realize the fastest and easiest answer or resource is not always the best answer or resource.  A student can learn a lot about research from this game that can be applied to research papers and assignments. If you are looking for a challenge and a learning experience, then check out the Great Google Library Challenge and see if you can find the correct answer.