Oregon
Battle of the Books

Frequently asked questions!

Oregon Battle of the Books: Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get more involved with the OBOB planning process?

  • Yes! Please personally contact me, Debbie Alvarez, OBOB Chair, and let me know if you'd like to attend the next OBOB meeting, it is on January 17 th, 10am-3pm. This meeting will include the OBOB committee selecting 8 of the 16 titles for each division.
    Email: lsta_oema@yahoo.com
Can I still register for this year?
  • No. Registration for the 2008-2009 year is now closed.

Do we have to have a regional if we only have 3 teams in our region?

  • For Regions 5, 6,7 who choose not to hold a regional due to a small number of participants, an alternat competition will take place.
    Each school site will administer 2 identical sets of regional questions. School representations will score each team's points. The combined score of the two sets of questions will be used to determine the top two teams to go to the state final from each region.

What is the address for the WIKI?

  • Please click on this link for our WIKI

When are the Regional Battles and where?  

The Regional Battles will be held as follows:   

Region 1: March 14th at Jesuit HS: Key Person: Karen West and Andrea Burke

Region 2: March 14th at McMinnville HS: Joyce Lowry

Region 3: March 14th at Roseburg HS: Mary McClintock and Judy Kulluson

Region 4: Feb. 28th at West Orient MS: Mike Weidlich

Region 5: March 7th at Evans Valley Elementary School -Linda McGuire and Lisa Krebs

Region 6: March 14th- Organize to run by V-Tel – Angela Lattin

Region 7: Date/location to be determined: Manager- Linda Bilyeu

State Battle:  April 4th, 2009 at Chemeketa Community College in Salem
Libby Hamler-Dupras
and DeAnn Orand

Can I take my team to any Regional Battle?

  • NO, you need to attend the Battle in the Region where your school resides. The regions are set up by OASL which is the sponsoring organization for this event.

Can I get more involved with the OBOB planning process?

  • Yes!  Please personally contact me, Debbie Alvarez, OBOB Chair, and let me know if you'd like to attend the next OBOB meeting, it is on November 3rd, 10am-3pm.  This meeting will include the OBOB committee selecting 8 of the 16 titles for each division.  Email: lsta_oema@yahoo.com

Are there any titles I can count on being in the 2008-2009 OBOB list?
  • *Not yet, expect information shared after the January 17 th meeting.

Do non-grant schools who participate in OBOB have to furnish a certain number of books to their students?
  • No.
How does a student participate?
  • A student participates by reading from the book list provided for that year's Oregon Battle of the Books and discussing those titles and competing in battles with their teammates.
Where do the students get the books?
  • School libraries should have copies of each book on the list. Public libraries and local  book stores will also be apprised of the titles and will most likely have them available.
  • For the first three years only, schools may apply for book funding through the LSTA grant.
When do the students read the books?
  • The school battles should be completed by the end of February. Reading through the summer is completely optional, but available to students. Students should have plenty of time to read the books during the school year.
What Is a "Battle?"
  • A typical "Battle" is a tournament or game, somewhat like Jeopardy, in which students' teams earn points by answering questions about the books on the book list.
Can we change our district team after the district battle? Can we add or change members?
  • Your 5 member team, (4 members and alternate) may not change after the names have been sent in to the Regional Coordinator as listed on the OBOB website.
  • Team names need to be submitted to the regional coordinator two weeks prior to competition.
When is it OK for alternates to participate in the regional/state level competition?
  • An alternate may only replace a team member between Battles, never during a battle.
  • Players may not be substituted once a Battle has begun EXCEPT in the event of an illness or emergency.
Do students have to read all the books?
  • No. Most students read only about half of the books. There are a few readers who complete the whole list, but there are some who might only be able to read five of the books.
Do I need other schools to have a battle or can I just have only one at my school?
  • It is best to start small. The first time you conduct a battle, we recommend that you do it alone at your school site. However, it is always good to have other schools in your district or in your area conduct their own battles.
How do I get started?
  • A place to start is by joining OASL (go to our website: www.oasl.info)! Have your school purchase books from the book list and develop an in-house reading incentive system to encourage students to read these books. Request questions for your competition (via our website) and begin to find sponsors and helpers to support and conduct your local battle at your site or region.
May I use the OBOB  logo?
  • The logo is available for any Oregon Battle of the Books promotional activity, with the proviso that the Oregon Association of School Libraries must be given credit for their sponsorship.
  • Should the logo be used by any commercial entity, the sponsorship credit must be printed somewhere on the same page on which the logo is used.
Who else is participating in Oregon?
  • Participants are listed on the OBOB website.
Who can I contact to get help with how to get started and answer many of my questions?
  • You can call one of the OBOB participants in your area.
Do we need to have awards for the winning teams?
  • We suggest that you find ways to honor all participants.
Why didn't I hear about this sooner?
  • The OBOB committee has disseminated information as quickly as possible in this, our first year. Information is posted on our OASL and OBOB websites and on our OASL listserv. If you have questions, please contact us!

Can I submit my book for consideration for the OBOB list?

  • No. The committee makes the decision as to which books to include in a balanced list for each level. They use standard reviewing sources for quality and appropriatness for the list.
Organized by OASL (Oregon Association of School Libraries) formerly OEMA.
Funding supported by the LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act) Grant.
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