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.’
Sad…but true
Hi All!
Viv here, I’m in the Rotterdam City Library and wondering whether I could bond with the librarians who would have been asked these questions too! Off to France tomorrow, and now I’ve FINALLY visited the TTG website I’m sending a postcard! Hope all’s well, Cheers, Viv.
hehehe! Gotta love it. Life in a library is never dull 🙂