Comments on: Reference Question of the Week – 9/23/12

By: Brian Herzog

Brian Herzog — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 02:06:23 +0000

@Kathryn: sigh – thank you; sometimes I embarass myself so much I don’t know why I leave the house. Of course, most of my days are spent scheduling tutors in our study rooms, so I probably types it automatically. Anyway, I correct it – thanks again.

By: Kathryn

Kathryn — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 01:36:16 +0000

Just a tiny note, but I think those Beefeater uniforms date from Tudor times as opposed to Tutor times….

By: Brian Herzog

Brian Herzog — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 00:19:41 +0000

The random questions always make me laugh, and I am exactly like @threegoodrats in that I try to figure out what may have gotten them to that question. @acornsandnuts is also right in that sadly, people with smartphones can answer these themselves, so the bizarre trivia question might soon be a thing of the past. @The Librarian With No Name - we've got plenty of other patrons that fall into the "exasperating" category. Not bad questions usually, just the relentlessness of the asking.

By: threegoodrats

threegoodrats — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 17:35:11 +0000

I always want to know WHY they are asking these things. Sometimes it sounds like they’re working on a crossword puzzle, but sometimes that doesn’t seem to be it. We have a lady who will call and ask things like “What are some famous lagoons?” or “Is there a place called Missoula? And where is that?” A couple of times I’ve asked where she heard about it (when the context was unclear) and she said on tv. It’s kind of nice to know some people are curious enough to follow up on interesting things they hear about.

By: DianneLibrarian

DianneLibrarian — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 15:14:52 +0000

Don’t you just love an interesting reference question? Whenever I get a good one it just makes my day!

By: The Librarian With No Name

The Librarian With No Name — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 12:55:13 +0000

We’ve got a regular telephone customer whose main points of contact with the outside world are the reference desk and Coast to Coast AM. He’s also generally interested in the histories of the classic rock bands he hears on the radio.

It’s not unusual for a reference interview to start out with us trying to find out what happened to the individual members of a one-hit-wonder group from 1975 and finish with a discussion of theoretical transuranium elements and whether or not they could exhibit antigravitational properties.

Some of my colleagues find him exasperating, but I think he’s a great way to stretch your brain during a slow shift at the desk.

By: Kaylin

Kaylin — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 15:20:49 +0000

Love it, and now we know for next time someone asks that common question.
I look forward to these posts every week, thank you!