#ask nypl

[kingsbridgelibraryteens]

NYC's 'Human Google' Offers Help In An AI World

From oddball questions to deep research, NYC librarians say human expertise remains in steady demand.

NEW YORK CITY — In an era dominated by chatbots and instant answers, New York City’s librarians are fielding a different kind of request: New Yorkers looking for answers with a real human on the other end of the line.

The city’s public library systems all have a program, sometimes nicknamed 'human Google,' where New Yorkers can call, text or chat with a librarian to ask all kinds of questions — from researching a niche topic to settling a bar bet.

[kingsbridgelibraryteens]

[nyplyounglions]

“In a certain sense, the work I do begins where the Internet ends,” Mr. Boylan said. Matthew Boylan is one of eight Reference Librarians at the NYPL who manage ASK NYPL, the Library's reference hotline. Mr. Boylan has 650 databases and millions of books at his fingertips, information that a simple internet search cannot reach. He has answered questions ranging from the Laotian general Vang Pao to old tuberculosis hospitals on Long Island, from borrowing the latest season of “Boardwalk Empire” to questions from surgeons mid operation. This article in The New York Times highlights Mr. Boylan's amazing work at the NYPL, helping New Yorkers get the answers they need. 

Have a question? Call ASK NYPL at 917.275.6975, visit online where you can chat, email, or find more links to what you need to know. 

[libraryjournal]

Nice New York Times profile of  Ask NYPL reference librarian  Matthew J. Boylan, aka "the Magician."

“In a certain sense, the work I do begins where the Internet ends,” Mr. Boylan said. “Certain things you can’t find with Google"

The library system’s former president, Paul LeClerc, nicknamed him “the Magician” for his ability to take on complicated questions and stumpers, and find answers in the library’s stacks, microfilm and other resources

.“I guess you could say I’m well positioned,” Mr. Boylan said. “I sit near millions of books and I have access to 650 databases above and beyond the open Internet.”

He turned to a full queue of emailed questions and browsed it like a menu. There were questions about the Laotian general Vang Pao, old tuberculosis hospitals on Long Island and a Grafton-Middlesex fox hound match in Virginia in 1905. Someone wanted to know if the city of Chemnitz was part of the kingdom of Saxony in 1899; another wanted to borrow the latest season of “Boardwalk Empire.”

Love the stack of print reference books on his desk.

[nypl]

Today's #letmelibrarianthatforyou question is squeaky clean: "What percent of all the bathtubs in the world are in the U.S.?