Tag: reference desk

Tower of Babel at the Reference Desk

(Okay, we shoot the next lunatic, and take it on the lam. You with me?)The Merry Librarian is one of our favorite spots for prospecting; there's gold in them thar hills. Yesterday, Merry - we presume familiarity and beg her forgiveness - related the terrifying tale of a reference librarian at a loss for words simply because she was absent from high school the day the class learned to read hieroglyphics in Mayan and Egyptian, missed the pop quiz in Farsi, and failed Hebrew. And yet they still let her graduate! Here's the saga as related by Merry's correspondent:Here’s a...

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Hello, Reference Desk?

From the Norwood, MA Daily News, this exchange between Beth Goldman, Reference Desk librarian at the Morrill Memorial Library and library IT specialist and a call-in patron:Librarian: Good morning. Reference. How may I help you?Caller: Hi. Is this Reference?Librarian: Yes, sir. You have reached the Reference Desk. How may I help you?Caller: Gee, I hope you can help me.Librarian: I will certainly try. Tell me what you are looking for.Caller: Well, I’m not sure what I’m looking for, but my wife told me to call.Librarian: Great! What did your wife want?Caller: She said you’d know what that new book is...

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