Bizarre Questions & What Library School Never Taught You

Two days ago I got this question: "Is it rape if a doctor assaults a woman with a blunt instrument?" This lady was crazy-she thought the Dougherty County police department was circulating rumors about who had slept with her (she was old, deaf, and unattractive). I howled  after she left.

-A County Law Librarian from Georgia

As you can tell, I have agreed to publish some of the weird stories submitted to me by colleagues who are shy about submitting the stories themselves. I can see why they'd be shy- some of us work in government offices or high-profile law firms and want to protect our clients interests. That's OK with me, my friends. You can post on this blog or, if you'd like to remain anonymous, just e-mail me your story and I'll post it.

In any case, I think the majority of weird questions will come from those of us who work with the public face-to-face for most of our workday. I enjoy that aspect of my job because I enjoy seeing the constant parade of different characters who come through the library doors.

In the space of an hour I can see:

• an business owner who needs to find an attorney who speaks Tagalog to help her understand some court papers,
• a heroin junkie looking for information about why Children's Protective Services took her kids (maybe it wasn't heroin- all I saw were the track marks on her arms),
• a father and son who are looking to get the son's criminal record expunged so the son can get a job or go into the military, and
• an attorney who needs to know information about California consumer law and pending changes to Business and Professions code section 172000.

Is it any wonder that I love working with the public? The endless variety of life and questions provide an incredible amount of intellectual stimulation!