These are some actual reference queries that have been asked at reference desks at some of the world’s libraries…

• “Do you have books here?”
• “Do you have a list of all the books written in the English language?”
• “Do you have that book by Rushdie: ‘Satanic Nurses’?” (Actual title: “Satanic Verses”)
• “Where is the reference desk?” This was asked of a person sitting at a desk who had, hanging above her head, a sign saying “REFERENCE DESK”
• “I was here about three weeks ago looking at a cookbook that cost $39.95. Do you know which one it is?”
• “Which outlets in the library are appropriate for my hair dryer?”
• “Do you have any books with photographs of dinosaurs?”
• “I need a color photograph of  King Arthur, or Moses, or Socrates.”
• “I need to find out Ibid’s first name for my bibliography.” *
• “I borrowed a crime book last week. It was green, do you know who wrote it?”
• “Why don’t you have any books by Ibid? He’s written a lot of important stuff.” *
• “I’m looking for information on carpal tunnel syndrome. I think I’m having trouble with it in my neck.”
• “Is the basement upstairs?” (Asked at First Floor Reference Desk)
• “I am looking for a list of laws that I can break that would send me back to jail for a couple of months.”

* Ibid – is Latin for ‘in the same place’. You see it often in academic text books. If multiple quotes or references come from the same source, instead of writing the author/ title/ publisher over and over each time it’s sited, the writer would write Ibid, meaning ‘from the same place as all the previous references.’