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A daily diary of actual interactions between a reference desk
librarian and his patrons Reference Librarianship documents a year
in the life of a young librarian working in the "trenches" at a
library in the Midwestern United States. This one-of-a-kind book
provides a daily diary of every librarian/patron transaction-no
matter how mundane or absurd-to demonstrate not only how advances
in technology have affected the reference librarian's job, but how
the public's expectations have changed, as well. The book also
includes observations by a now-retired reference librarian on the
current state of the field based on these unedited interactions.
Over the past two decades, the job of reference librarian has seen
many changes. But in many ways, reference desk work hasn't changed
a bit, with its mix of odd, humorous, routine, and ridiculous
requests that capture what it's like to deal with patrons day after
day. Reference Librarianship paints a clear picture of the field
for library school students, provides emotional and philosophical
support to practitioners, and reminds library administrators of
what life was like on the "front lines." A sampling of the daily
transactions documented in Reference Librarianship: Monday, May 19,
2003: pencil pencil network down I tell people that I can't sign
them up for an Internet terminal because the network is down and
they just stand there, staring into space One of them asks for
three days worth of newspapers microfiche machine explanation
Sorry, Sir, the network is still down (multiply by twenty and
insert randomly into the remainder of the day) magic tricks, but he
pretty much knew where they were One of our large interior plate
glass windows shattered. No one was hurt and it made a fascinating
noise, like a crystal waterfall landing on soil. "Books on
prostitution, you know-whores?" Someone from the County called to
ask if any criminal activity had occurred on a particular street.
Someone else referred her to us. She was dubious-with good reason.
"Math puzzles." Okay. I show him the books. "Just math." Certainly.
I show him the books. "I need them in Spanish." Grrr ... Reference
Librarianship is an enlightening, educational, and entertaining
look at the real world of reference desk work. It's an essential
read for reference librarians (both public and academic), library
administrators, and library school students, as well as anyone who
works with the public.
Who said that? When did that happen? Where the heck does that thing
come from? Was that French, or what? What's that supposed to
mean?For 35 years, librarians in the United States and other
countries sent puzzles they could not solve locally to "The
Exchange," a column for reference librarians appearing in RQ (and
later, RUSQ), the official journal of the Reference and User
Services Division of the ALA. Other readers often furnished the
answers--sometimes years or even decades later! Puzzles and Essays
from The Exchange organizes those perplexing questions and answers
into a reader-friendly reference format, embellished with essays
that appeared in the column over the last fifteen years of its
publication.This unique collection of questions and answers that
stumped librarians on four continents over a 35-year period comes
complete with authoritative bibliographic citations. It also
contains an extensive subject, person, and keyword index, providing
easy access to the material.Packed with fascinating information,
little-known trivia, and hard-to-find facts, Puzzles and Essays
from The Exchange is a wonderful reference source, answering
difficult questions about: the origins of common--and
not-so-common-customs, like giving engagement rings, driving on the
right or left side of the road, tying yellow ribbons around trees
in memory of captives, leg shaving, visits from the "Tooth Fairy,"
and much, much more! the origins of words, phrases, and terms that
don't, when taken literally, make much sense the origins of popular
sayings--The grass is always greener; The whole nine yards; It
ain't over until the fat lady sings; Close but no cigar; Going down
the tube; Light at the end of the tunnel; Katy, bar the door;
Goodbye, cruel world; etc. the sources of famous quotations--both
spurious and real! the sources of poetry fragments and bits of
verse that have become part of the popular lexicon hard-to-find
biographical information-from George Washington Carver's many uses
for the peanut and the sweet potato to the name of Paul Revere's
horse to the truth about the "let them eat cake" story attributed
to Marie Antoinette trivia and miscellany--how lullabies began; why
a yawn is contagious when a sneeze is not; what the names of the
monkeys in The Wizard of Oz were; why pigeons bob their heads when
they walk; what the vital statistics of the Venus de Milo are; and
much more! the history of "The Exchange" itself! Puzzles and Essays
from The Exchange will also challenge you with a list of so-far
unanswered questions, unidentified quotations, and popular sayings
whose origins are still generally unknown. Perhaps you'll be the
one to answer the riddles that stumped the editors and readers of
"The Exchange!"
Who said that? When did that happen? Where the heck does that thing
come from? Was that French, or what? What's that supposed to
mean?For 35 years, librarians in the United States and other
countries sent puzzles they could not solve locally to "The
Exchange," a column for reference librarians appearing in RQ (and
later, RUSQ), the official journal of the Reference and User
Services Division of the ALA. Other readers often furnished the
answers--sometimes years or even decades later! Puzzles and Essays
from The Exchange organizes those perplexing questions and answers
into a reader-friendly reference format, embellished with essays
that appeared in the column over the last fifteen years of its
publication.This unique collection of questions and answers that
stumped librarians on four continents over a 35-year period comes
complete with authoritative bibliographic citations. It also
contains an extensive subject, person, and keyword index, providing
easy access to the material.Packed with fascinating information,
little-known trivia, and hard-to-find facts, Puzzles and Essays
from The Exchange is a wonderful reference source, answering
difficult questions about: the origins of common--and
not-so-common-customs, like giving engagement rings, driving on the
right or left side of the road, tying yellow ribbons around trees
in memory of captives, leg shaving, visits from the "Tooth Fairy,"
and much, much more! the origins of words, phrases, and terms that
don't, when taken literally, make much sense the origins of popular
sayings--The grass is always greener; The whole nine yards; It
ain't over until the fat lady sings; Close but no cigar; Going down
the tube; Light at the end of the tunnel; Katy, bar the door;
Goodbye, cruel world; etc. the sources of famous quotations--both
spurious and real! the sources of poetry fragments and bits of
verse that have become part of the popular lexicon hard-to-find
biographical information-from George Washington Carver's many uses
for the peanut and the sweet potato to the name of Paul Revere's
horse to the truth about the "let them eat cake" story attributed
to Marie Antoinette trivia and miscellany--how lullabies began; why
a yawn is contagious when a sneeze is not; what the names of the
monkeys in The Wizard of Oz were; why pigeons bob their heads when
they walk; what the vital statistics of the Venus de Milo are; and
much more! the history of "The Exchange" itself! Puzzles and Essays
from The Exchange will also challenge you with a list of so-far
unanswered questions, unidentified quotations, and popular sayings
whose origins are still generally unknown. Perhaps you'll be the
one to answer the riddles that stumped the editors and readers of
"The Exchange!"
A series of 40 illustrated brochures that describe the campaigns in
which U.S. Army troops participated during the war. Each brochure
describes the strategic setting, traces the operations of the major
American units involved, and analyzes the impact of the campaign on
future operations. CMH Pubs 72-1 through 72-40.
World War II was the largest and most violent armed conflict in the
history of mankind. However, the half century that now separates us
from that conflict has exacted its toll on our collective
knowledge. While World War II continues to absorb the interest of
military scholars and historians, as well as its veterans, a
generation of Americans has grown to maturity largely unaware of
the political, social, and military implications of a war that,
more than any other, united us as a people with a common purpose.
Highly relevant today, World War II has much to teach us, not only
about the profession of arms, but also about military preparedness,
global strategy, and combined operations in the coalition war
against fascism. During the next several years, the U.S. Army will
participate in the nation's 50th anniversary commemoration of World
War II. The commemoration will include the publication of various
materials to help educate Americans about that war. The works
produced will provide great opportunities to learn about and renew
pride in an Army that fought so magnificently in what has been
called "the mighty endeavor." World War II was waged on land, on
sea, and in the air over several diverse theaters of operation for
approximately six years. The following essay is one of a series of
campaign studies highlighting those struggles that, with their
accompanying suggestions for further readings, are designed to
introduce you to one of the Army's significant military feats from
that war.
A series of 40 illustrated brochures that describe the campaigns in
which U.S. Army troops participated during the war. Each brochure
describes the strategic setting, traces the operations of the major
American units involved, and analyzes the impact of the campaign on
future operations. CMH Pubs 72-1 through 72-40.
A series of 40 illustrated brochures that describe the campaigns in
which U.S. Army troops participated during the war. Each brochure
describes the strategic setting, traces the operations of the major
American units involved, and analyzes the impact of the campaign on
future operations. CMH Pubs 72-1 through 72-40.
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