Reference Questions, 2/3/2010

Here we are again, on the desk during feeding time. Let the sharks circle. :) On a side note my book display on vampires went up yesterday. Yay me!

1. A student needed to print, but didn't have their FirstCard.
   
2. (Chat) A student was looking for articles from the 1940s in the New York Times on the Cold War and communism.
3. A student was looking for books on creatine. All the books had been checked out so I directed her to the articles.
4. An LIS student was having trouble finding the spainsh encyclopedia that her professor wanted her to look at.
5. A student had a question about getting on the ref computers.
6. A student was looking for the CQ American Politics and the Almanac of American Poilitics. They seem to have wondered out of the ref dept.
7. A student had a question about accessing an article she had received through ILL.
8. A student was looking for older copies of the CQ's Politics in America and The Almanac of American Politics.
9. A student was looking for The Elements of Style by William Strunk.
10. A student was looking for a textbook.
11. A student was looking for the CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics.
12. A student had a question about a record he had pulled up in the catalog. The contents on the record were different from the actual book contents. He wanted the book that matched the contents in the record.
13. Two students were looking for the MLA citation guides.
14. A student had a printing question.
15. A student was looking for the Reading Room.
16. A student was looking for somewhere to print.
17. A professor was looking for Writing Well by Donald Hall. The closest library that has it is NCSU.
18. A student was looking for the CQ's Politics in America and The Almanac of American Politics.
19. (Chat) Looking for a citation for Michael F. Mooney v. Fr. Mark Haight et al. A fun chat indeed.
20. A student was looking for the new book section.
21. A student was looking for the CQ's Politics in America and The Almanac of American Politics.
22. A student was looking for the circulation desk.
23. A student had the call numbers for some books, but wasn't sure where they were located.
24. A student had a question about MLA citations.

Another shift closer to graduation. :)

Reference Questions, 1/27/10

Back for another fast paced day shift. I expect to get more reference questions today than I did last week.

1. A student was looking for issues of Time magazine from the 1950's.
2. A student was looking for the reserves.
3. A student was looking for articles on catering.
4. A student wanted to where she could find books with the call letter J.
5. A student needed to watch an online movie for a class and wanted to know if she could use the computers in the ref department to do that.
6. A student was looking for a thesaurus she could check out
7. A student was looking for a textbook.
8. A student was looking for the ILL office.
9. A student was looking for a book of criticism on the poetry of Robert Lowell.
10. A student had a question about wireless printing in the library.
11. Three students were looking for LIBR 032.
12. A student wanted to know if you could check out magazines or if you could photocopy from them.
13. A librarian needed a guest username and password to test something out.
14. A student was looking for books on weather.
15. Two students were looking for the new books.
16. A student was looking for an article from the New York Times from 1950.
17. A student wanted to know where to go to get his laptop certified for use in the classroom. Huh?
18. (Phone) A patron was looking from a guy names Alston Noah or Noah Alston. He was in the Confederate Army, 3rd Cavalry in Texas during the Civil War. The guy does not exist. Strange call.
    
19. A student was looking for the reserves.
20. A student was looking for the reserves.
21. A student was looking for a mailbox.

Not as crazy as it was last week. Even got several real reference questions. :) I'll be back Sunday night.

Reference Questions, 1/23/10

The first Saturday of the semester and here I am on the reference desk. Oh what fun. ;) At least I'm sitting on the low desk. Jason wanted to stay on the high desk. Fine with me. It should be a slow shift anyway.

1. A student needed to reset her Novell username and password. I sent her to the SuperLab.
2. (Phone) A question about the library's hours.
3. (Phone) A librarian from GPL called and wanted to know if a GTCC student could come and use our computers to work on a math lab for a class. That is what the guest computers are for. :)
Moved up to the high desk so Jason could go grab some lunch.

4. (Phone) Gerald called to check on something Jason had called him about.
5. A patron needed a username and password for a guest computer.
6. A student wanted to know if this was the reference section and if she was allowed to go in and look for a book. These people always make me smile. They respect the books.
7. (Chat) A student wanted to know if they should use the same topic for two different assignments.
8. A WSSU nursing student was looking for books on nursing theory.
9. A nursing student was looking for research articles on art therapy and children.
   

This may have been the slowest shift i have ever had during a semester. I am not complaining.

Reference Questions, 1/20/10

My first shift of the semester. I am now on during the day, Wednesdays from 11-2. Let the questioning and the search for textbooks in the library begin. :)

1. A student wanted to know where LIBR 032 is located.
2. A student wanted to know where the bookstore is located.
3. A student wanted to know where LIBR 032 is located.
4. A student wanted to know where LIBR 032 is located.
5. A student wanted to know where the bookstore is located.
6. A student was looking for reserves.
7. A student wanted to know where LIBR 032 is located.
8. A student was looking for reserves.
9. A student was looking for a book called The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.
10. A student was looking for some textbooks. He got lucky, we had them; older editions of course.
11. A student had a question about free printing.
12. A student was looking for a computer with a webcam.
13. A student was looking for the Science Building.
14. A student had a question about logging into the ref computers.
15. A student wanted to know where LIBR 032 is located.
16. A student wanted to know where LIBR 032 is located.
17. A student was looking for computers that she could print from.
18. A student wanted to know where LIBR 032 is located.
19. A student had a question about printing.
20. A student was looking for reserves.
21. A student was looking for a textbook.
22. A student was looking for a private study area and the career services center.
23. A student was looking for the library administration office.
24. A student was looking for the library administration office.
25. A student was looking for Tower 4.
26. A student was looking for the library administration office.
27. A student was having trouble logging into the system.
28. A student was looking for a textbook.
29. (Chat) A student had a question about printing. They wanted to know if you could print into the SuperLab from the reference area. That is a no.
30. A student was having trouble with the hole puncher.
31. A student wanted to know how to look up textbooks.
32. A student was looking for a textbook.
33. A student had a question about connecting to the wireless network, and also wanted to know where the bathroom is located.
34. A student was looking for the APA citation guide.
35. A student was looking for resources on free trade and textiles and apparel.
36. A student was looking for reserves.
37. A student wanted to know where LIBR 032 is located.

Not a bad first shift. Just mostly directional and textbook questions. I'm up for the first Saturday of the semester. We'll see how that goes.

Reference Questions, 12/8/09

This is my last shift of the semester and year. Yay! Next semester I will no longer be taking reference training. This makes me happy.

1. A student was looking for the Multicultural Center. It is in the EUC.
2. A student was looking for books for adult literacy, not about it.
3. A student was looking for science fiction film journals.
4. (Chat) A student had an APA citation question. (Not a fan of chat citation questions.)
5. A student had a question about checking out journals.
6. A student had a question about free printing.
7. (Chat) A student had an APA citation question.
8. A student had a question about what part of the library is open all night.
9. A student wanted to know what day it was. It's that time of year I guess.
10. (Phone) Someone wanted to speak to Jenny.
11. A student was looking for the circulation desk.
12. (Chat) A student had an APA citation question.
13. A student needed resources for a paper she was writing on Joan of Arc.
14. (Phone) A patron was looking for and issue of the United States Naval Institute Proceedings from 1931.
15. A student wanted to know where the nearest bathroom was located.
16. A student was looking for books on resume writing.
17. (Chat) A student had a question about accessing a database.
18. (Chat) A student had a complaint about a loud student in a quiet area.

See you next semester. :)

Reference Questions, 12/5/09

This is my last weekend shift of the semester. Monday is the last day of classes. Let's hope for a calm shift. I am still not 100% from my stomach illness.

1. A student had pulled the names of the books she wanted out of the catalog, but had not written down the call numbers. She wanted me to go find the call numbers in the catalog for her, even though she had just been in the catalog and could have done it herself. Her handwriting was not the best and I kept typing in the incorrect names for the books and she never told me that what I was typing was incoreect. She just kept saying over and over that they had been in the catalog when she looked earlier. A loving interaction to start off the shift.
2. (Phone) I had to put this person on hold because I had 2 people at the desk and when I went back he was gone.
3. A student had a question about finding the full text of an article.
4. (Phone) A student was having trouble printing a pdf file.
5. A student had a question about APA in-text citations.
6. A student needed a government document and had a question about where to find a book.
7. A student wanted to know if the library was hiring for the winter break. I sent them to the circ desk.
8. (Chat) A student had a question about finding scholarly articles.
9. A student wanted to know if the library is open tomorrow.
10. A student was looking for articles on Russia's military reform in the Concurrent Digest of the Post-Soviet Press.
11. A student wanted to know how to access their R drive from their own computer. It's myfiles.uncg.edu
12. (Chat) A student wanted to know what time the library closed tonight. 10:00 p.m.

I have been feeling worse as this shift has progressed. I hate the thought of having to go to the doctor about this stomach problem. I have a feeling that this is going to be a great Christmas break.

Reference Questions, 12/1/09

The first day of December and only a week left in this semester. I've been fighting a terrible stomach flu for the past several days. Hope I don't pass out at the desk. And the library is packed! Oy vey.

1. A student needed to find a poem written about a painting, or a painting painted about a poem. I directed her best I could.
2. A student had been locked out of their computer.
3. A student wanted to know how the signal in the Stacks and Basement were.
4. A student wanted to know where the newspapers were located.
5. (Chat) A student wanted to know if microfilm could be checked out from the library.
6. A student was looking for a Webster's Dictionary.
7. A student was looking for a book by Helen Vendler.
8. A student was looking for a book on reserve.
9. (Phone) A nursing student needed help searching CINAHL.
10. A student had a question about searching the databases.
11. A student was looking for a book on reserve.
12. An A&T student wanted to know where the bathroom was located.
13. An A&T student wanted to know what books were on what floors.
14. An A&T student wanted to know where the Music Library is located.
15. (Chat) A student wanted to know if there was a scanner for students to use anywhere.
16. A student had a question about registration.
17. A student wanted to make some people in a group study area be quiet. Sorry it is a group study area. I told him where the quiet study areas are.
18. A student had a question about checking out a locker in the library.
19. (Chat) A student was looking for a list of Ph.D. program in New York.
20. A student was looking for his lost keys.
21. (Chat) A student was looking for a performance review of Death of a Salesman.
22. (Chat) A student was having trouble logging into a database.

Only one more Tuesday shift left in the semester. :)