a hundred visions and revisions

Go here and fight against other people for refrigerator magnet letters and have very slow conversations!

Today while working at the reference desk I had a Chinese student come up and ask for information on drug trafficking and American teenagers - specifically how teens obtain marijuana. He wasn't a very clear English speaker, and my coworker David, who overheard parts of the conversation, thought that he was asking me where he could get some pot for himself. This led another coworker to mention the time someone asked him how to find information on freebasing cocaine. All this to say: apparently librarians are your go-to people when it comes to getting your hands on drugs.

Just to give you an idea of the kinds of questions we get here at the reference desk in Wells Library at IU, here's some sample questions from today:

"I looked up a book earlier and you guys had it, but now I forget the title."

"I need to find stuff about sex trafficking in Romania"

"Is there a fax machine nearby?"

"I need to borrow a pair of scissors. Oh, and tape if you've got it. And do you have a stapler?"

"We need to find information on public opinion of Patrick Henry during the Revolutionary war period. Especially about the press' reaction to his speeches."

"I need to find circulation statistics and business information for the top three men's magazines, but I don't know which ones they are."

"Do you have headphones?"

"I'm looking for information on bulimia. You know, like how bulimia got started."

"I'd like to find letters to the editor about the Challenger explosion and Reagan's reaction to it."

"I'm looking for an advertisement of a product or service around the time of the September 11 terrorist attacks. I have to photocopy the ad and give it to my teacher."

"Where can I watch a DVD?"

"I'm a law student and I spend all of my time in the Law Lib. How do I find a book here? This place is huge!"

"Are there group study rooms anywhere?"

"What's the shuttle bus schedule?"

"Where do I print at?"

"I need to find information on IU's Slavic Singing Group and slavic music traditions."

"I need information on Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Ture), and the black power movement."

"Do you guys have a scanner?"

"I need to find out stuff about Oprah Winfrey, especially about her work in Africa and being a feminist."

"I have to look up information on heart disease in Finland during the early 20th century."

"Is there free parking at the metered lot?"

From a guy on his cellphone:

"Yeah, man, I'm at the library. This place is awesome, chicks everywhere!"