Dear Marga, Don't laugh at mailed in reference questions. Our library received a reference question on a postcard this summer with a request for a specific article. I assume the patron wasn't able to reach our staff while we staying safer at home but was certain that the US Postal Service who "neither snow nor *rain* nor heat nor gloom of [pandemic] night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.
Kol tuv, Jackie On Thu, Nov 5, 2020 at 6:05 PM Margo Gutstein via Hasafran < [email protected]> wrote: > At least he was asking for a book that he previously used in *your* > library. Most of my questions were from people who read the books years > ago (and didn't borrow it from my library), wanted to read it again, and > wanted ME to tell them what book it was based on no information other than > the color of the cover. > > Since being a librarian doesn't give me the ability to see what that > person may have been reading in the distant past, I was, alas, unable to > help them. > > But I was (privately) amused 🙂 > > And since we're sharing, here's my all-time favorite reference question, a > request we received in the mail (yes, that long ago) from a college student > who had to write a 3-5 page paper for a class, and wanted me to send her > "everything you have on the Holocaust, and also include everything you have > on Jewish history." After I got done laughing, I replied and explained > that these are very large topics and sent her a short bibliography of > sources she could check locally. > > Margo > > ------------------------------ > *From:* Emily Bergman <[email protected]> > *Sent:* Wednesday, November 4, 2020 12:25 PM > *To:* Margo Gutstein <[email protected]> > *Cc:* Hasafran <[email protected]> > *Subject:* ex: Re: [ha-Safran] ex: Fw: The Librarian > > When I worked in a museum library, the Chief Curator came in and said he > needed the brown book on Indians. Of course, I found it. It's my best > story of this kind. Emily > > Emily Bergman > [email protected] > > > On Tue, Nov 3, 2020 at 1:21 PM Margo Gutstein via Hasafran < > [email protected]> wrote: > > I can't tell you how many times over the years I've been asked a question > that goes something like this: "I'm hoping you can help me find a book. I > read it a while ago, and it was about a boy [or a man or a woman, or > something equally generic]. I can't remember the title or the author or > the publisher, but the cover was green... " > > It's happened often enough that I've considered adding a field to our > catalog for "Color of cover"! > > Thank you for sharing a great laugh, Lisa! > > Margo > > -- > Margo Gutstein > Archivist > Simon Wiesenthal Center > [email protected] > > ------------------------------ > *From:* Hasafran <[email protected]> on behalf of Lisa > Silverman via Hasafran <[email protected]> > *Sent:* Friday, October 30, 2020 1:42 PM > *To:* Hasafran <[email protected]> > *Subject:* ex: [ha-Safran] Fw: The Librarian > > I couldn't resist sharing this short, funny video from a British humor > show sketch about librarians! > > ------------------------------ > Lisa > > ------------------------------ > > > > > > > > -- > > > CAUTION: This is an external email: is it safe? > > __ > Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual > author > and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Jewish Libraries > (AJL) > ================================== > Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: > [email protected] > To join Ha-Safran, update or change your subscription, etc. - click here: > https://lists.service.ohio-state.edu/mailman/listinfo/hasafran > Questions, problems, complaints, compliments send to: [email protected] > Ha-Safran Archives: > Current: > > https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran*40lists.service.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html__;JQ!!KGKeukY!kBnaK5VK4zgWfBgLgLSPIKPXAuSj5KAJNOHMy2oZLA8L8jfVIUyFIC6LDB5ziQ6A1cXv3miV3YinE6U$ > > Earlier Listserver: > > https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran*40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html__;JQ!!KGKeukY!kBnaK5VK4zgWfBgLgLSPIKPXAuSj5KAJNOHMy2oZLA8L8jfVIUyFIC6LDB5ziQ6A1cXv3miVraohpTE$ > > AJL HomePage > https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.JewishLibraries.org__;!!KGKeukY!kBnaK5VK4zgWfBgLgLSPIKPXAuSj5KAJNOHMy2oZLA8L8jfVIUyFIC6LDB5ziQ6A1cXv3miVVUkCShM$ > > -- > Hasafran mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/hasafran > > CAUTION: This is an external email: is it safe? > > __ > Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual > author > and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Jewish Libraries > (AJL) > ================================== > Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: > [email protected] > To join Ha-Safran, update or change your subscription, etc. - click here: > https://lists.service.ohio-state.edu/mailman/listinfo/hasafran > Questions, problems, complaints, compliments send to: [email protected] > Ha-Safran Archives: > Current: > > https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran*40lists.service.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html__;JQ!!KGKeukY!kBnaK5VK4zgWfBgLgLSPIKPXAuSj5KAJNOHMy2oZLA8L8jfVIUyFIC6LDB5ziQ6A1cXv3miV3YinE6U$ > > Earlier Listserver: > > https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran*40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html__;JQ!!KGKeukY!kBnaK5VK4zgWfBgLgLSPIKPXAuSj5KAJNOHMy2oZLA8L8jfVIUyFIC6LDB5ziQ6A1cXv3miVraohpTE$ > > AJL HomePage > https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.JewishLibraries.org__;!!KGKeukY!kBnaK5VK4zgWfBgLgLSPIKPXAuSj5KAJNOHMy2oZLA8L8jfVIUyFIC6LDB5ziQ6A1cXv3miVVUkCShM$ > > -- > Hasafran mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/hasafran > -- Jackie Ben-Efraim *"Although the books had changed, I the reader had not." **Micha Yosef Berdichevsky 1865-1921* Special Collections Librarian Ostrow Library American Jewish University 15600 Mulholland Drive Los Angeles, CA 90077
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