Reference 2.0

Today I learned that there is still a need for the old fashioned reference librarian. Monday morning brought several patrons to our Library Branch with urgent questions. Where can I find a list of all the social services agencies in Alachua County? What is the range of a rocket propelled grenade? How many African nations are part of the African union? Where can I find free income tax help this week? While a really thorough google search might have yielded answers to all of these questions, our library patrons instead picked up the telephone and called their local library, or came in to ask the librarian on duty. I find this strangely comforting. The thing is, no matter how good technology gets, and how skilled people become in using it, they will still rely upon the oldest, quickest, easiest method of finding out something: ask someone else. And, if you want to make sure the information is reliable, "ask a librarian."