#reference questions

[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.

[othmeralia]

[teenslib]

Fun at the Reference Desk: How many books can I check out?

This is far and away my favorite question, especially when the person asking is a little kid. It always goes like this: a young child approaches shyly as their adult encourages them to “ask the librarian.”

“Um... how many books can I take?”

I lean over the desk with a glint in my eye. “Oo, I love this question! Take a guess--how many do you think?”

"Ummm... five?”

“Go higher.”

“Seven?”

“Much higher!”

"Umm,” says the child, trying to think of the highest number they can count to, “twelve?”

“Even higher! You can check out fifty books at a time!”

Cue a thrilled child and shocked, slightly terrified adult.

[uwmadarchives]

12-Week War Wonders

By: Gioia Spatafora (she/her/hers)

Ralph M. Waters Papers and the Wartime Mobilization of Anesthetists

The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Archives receives a wide range of reference questions each week. As the reference desk archivist, this means each day is full of variety and small mysteries to solve.  Sometimes that means shifting through the Board of Regents’ Faculty Employment Index to find the exact dates a former professor taught at UW. Or using the digitized Badger Yearbooks to find an image of someone’s family member during their undergraduate studies. Regardless of the difficulty of each individual question, it is a great way to get to know the collection and learn about the history of UW-Madison.

Recently, we were sent a question concerning a temporary medical program that trained anesthetists for the Second World War. The patron had read a 2013 article from the periodical, Anesthesiology (article information provided below), and was searching for more correspondence between Ralph M. Waters and one of the program’s participants. The article is well researched, and the citations are accurate. That said, locating specific correspondence in a 26 cubic foot collection can still be rather difficult[1]. As it turns out, this program has only two cubic feet specifically related to its history, but it is a wonderful example of academic innovation and the long-term impact of Badger alumni.

At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, anesthesiology became a program in the late 1920s and was led by Ralph M. Waters (1884 -1979)[2]. Waters, a member of the American Society of Anesthetists (ASA), recognized the need for more trained anesthesiologists in the United States and especially in the Medical Corps. To assist in filling this need, he created a program called the Wartime Mobilization of Anesthetists[3].  This was a twelve-week course intended to train doctors in anesthesia for use on the battle front. The program lasted for roughly one year and graduated seventeen doctors, several of whom continued to practice anesthesia after the war[4].  

While it currently takes four additional year of medical school to become trained as an anesthesiologist, the twelve-week course offered from 1942 to 1943 was intended to prepare doctors in a variety of techniques and with the obvious intent for low-morality rates. The Ralph M. Waters Papers house the Wartime Mobilization of Anesthetists papers, which includes information on the trainees and correspondence during the war[5].  The letters show the strong bond between Waters and his proteges throughout their efforts. They are full of shared goals and personal triumphs and detail the difficulties of war-zone anesthesiology. Waters was updated on their progress, helped gain them optimal field placements and provided copies of medical literature throughout the war.

The relevant letters were scanned and sent to the researcher. Not only was I glad to find the patron’s material for their research, but I was incredibly impressed with the success of such an aggressive medical program.

[1] BOX 5-7, 12/4/4. Ralph M. Waters papers, 1921-1971. UW-Madison Archives, Madison Wisconsin. Accessed July 2019.

[2] “About Us.” About Us - UWSMPH - Department of Anesthesiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, anesthesia.wisc.edu/index.php?title=About_Us.

[3] Parks CL and Schroeder ME:  "Military Anesthesia Trainees in WWII at the Univ of Wisconsin"  Anesthesiology 2013;118:2019-27.

[4] Ibid.

[5] BOX 5-7, 12/4/4. Ralph M. Waters papers, 1921-1971. UW-Madison Archives, Madison Wisconsin. Accessed July 2019.

Images from UW-Madison Archives, Ralph M. Waters Collection, 12/4/4, Box 6, Folder 1.

[providencepubliclibrary]

For your Sunday reading: Before The Internet, What People Asked New York Public Library's Librarians [.]

Courtesy Amusing Planet.

[libraryjournal]

In the back corner was my favorite part of the press room: the librarians’ table, where the Academy librarians are on hand to answer questions. Under a sign that said “REFERENCE,” a librarian named Lucia Schultz had a thick binder of Oscar history and another of credits for the nominated films. Reporters came by to ask questions. Had there previously been two African-American acting winners in the same year? (Yes, in 2002, 2005, and 2007.) If Lin-Manuel Miranda won Best Original Song, would he be the youngest-ever “EGOT”? (Depends on whether you count noncompetitive awards. Barbra Streisand was younger, but she won a Special Tony Award.) Was Mahershala Ali the first Muslim to win an Oscar? (They couldn’t say, because the Academy doesn’t keep records on winners’ religious affiliations.) After Colleen Atwood won for Best Costume Design, a Metro.co.uk reporter rushed up to Schultz and asked if any other British people had won four Oscars. “Yes, but Colleen Atwood is from Washington State,” Schultz said.

Michael Schulman, “Scenes from the Oscar-Night Implosion” http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/scenes-from-the-oscar-night-implosion

[shirlynmerlin]

There's no feeling like the one when someone asks you the definition of something and you answer, then when you look it up later to double-check, you find that you quoted the dictionary exactly.

[teenslib]

Fun at the Reference Desk: How much is a mining claim in the Yukon?

Now that I’m in Children’s Services, I don’t normally work the adult reference desk anymore. For the most part, I’m glad of it, but every once in a while I’m reminded of what I’m missing.

Yesterday, I was filling in for a while and answered a phone call. The caller had been watching a reality TV show about gold mining in Canada’s Yukon Territory, and he wanted to know how much a claim is. 

“A claim?” I asked, not quite believing what I was hearing.

“You know, like 'claim jumping,' go up and pan for gold. I got a little case of gold fever!”

Google is the modern librarian’s best friend, and I quickly found a colorful PDF booklet called Guidelines for Placer Claim Staking in Yukon. I kept the caller chatting while I scanned the document for the right info.

“OK,” I gently interrupted, “I found it! Now, this is from yukonminingrecorder.ca, which is a government site, so it’s reliable. And it was published in October 2016, so it’s pretty recent. I’m just letting you know that this is a trustworthy source so you’ll believe me when I say that you can stake a claim for $10 a year.”

That was one of the most enjoyable reference exchanges I’ve had in a long time.