Comments on: Reference Question of the Week – 3/1/09

By: Brian Herzog

Brian Herzog — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 00:19:21 +0000

@Winnie: The problem with this question is that you either know the answer or you don’t. I’ve only been here about three years, but even the 40+ year library veterans didn’t know. Unfortunately, our resources are such that when personal knowledge fails us, there’s no good resource to always reliably fall back on – yet. Knowledge management is important for everyone – even the US Government.

@Mary Jo: Thanks for that – I had no idea, but I’ll follow up on it.

@Rachel: I love it. It’s amazing… some of these couldn’t be made up. So what happened to your blind man? I don’t know if it’s a good or bad thing that people think library staff would come pick them up where ever they are.

By: Rachel R

Rachel R — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 19:15:06 +0000

Here’s my new favorite question of the week: Man calls and says “I’m blind and I’m at the bus stop. Can you come get me?” Staff person says, “No, we can’t come get you, but if you tell me which bus stop you are at I can give you directions.” Man says, “I don’t know which one, I’m blind.”

True story.

By: Mary Jo

Mary Jo — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 18:25:33 +0000

Did you know there is a hospital in Southbridge called the Harrington Memorial Hospital that was initially funded by a $150,000 donation from Mr. and Mrs. Charles D. Harrington (of the Russell Harrington Company, now Dexter-Russell?) in 1929? Could be a philanthropic family…

By: Winnie

Winnie — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 17:52:40 +0000

Local history is a big reference question area where I work – notice I said “question”. We are a small library and have few resources, although the almost generic feel of your example question would be a breeze for us. Most of what we can help people with is based on me living here for 50 years and two of my co-workers marrying into families that have been here 100. The types of questions we get asked are more along the lines of “My Grampa built a house here in 1910 – can you help me find it?” or “Granma founded the WI here – do you have anything about her?” They are usually put to us by visitors who have never been here before. But when you answer these! The 80 year old woman who had a photo of herself at two on her Grampa’s front porch kissed me when I recognised the house and and gave her a map.