Interesting routes to a librarian
Posted by mightylibrarian on March 3, 2008
Many librarians have received interesting, if not funny questions from time to time. An example from Funny you should ask - Do you have any information on “vertical vans?” After a long discussion it was determined the patron wanted information on “varicose veins.”
Anyway, I have received a couple questions from interesting routes. One student came to the desk and asked if I could help her. We walked over to her computer and she wanted to know how to use the virtual reference program so she could ask a librarian a question right now. So instead of asking me the question directly, she asked how to use an online chat program to ask another librarian her question. I answered her question and explained the virtual reference program. I know some people use virtual reference programs because it is anonymous or because they are shy. This was not the case here.
Last week, I received a call (transfered from the front desk) from a student who wanted information on companies. I proceeded to explain a number of resources. After a few minutes something about the background noise made me asked her if she was at her computer. She told me she was at a public phone. Which I found a bit strange and asked myself is she on campus? off campus? After another question she informed me she was at the public phone in the library’s vestibule, which is 10 feet from my office! I asked her to come in the library and I would assist her. After she came in we walked over to her computer in the lab, which is 10 feet from my office, and I helped her. So she was working on her computer, got up, walked past my office, walked past the front desk, enter the vestibule, and called the library’s front desk.
