We love reference questions, partly because we love to help patrons find what they need, and partly because, well, we just never know what you'll ask next! Librarians were recently polled for "the most unusual reference question you've been asked". Here are just a few of the answers:
"What does it mean when you dream of raw, bloody beef?"
"What's the word for when you go into the jungle and shoot an animal and then you feel really good about it?"
"I need a book on evil twins."
"I need a copy of Macbeth, in English."
"I need a Biblical remedy for boils."
"Who wrote The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin?"
"What does the Bible say about lettuce?"
"Does the library loan out empathy bellies?"
"Who was the first female singer?"
"How do you say 'serendipity' in Sanskrit?"
"I need poems about Raquel Welch."
"Do you have 8-10 inch chalice I can check out for our church?"
"I need the sheet music for the Lord's Prayer for xylophone."
"Is Bob Hope one word or two?"
"How do you say 'Tonya' in Hawaiian?"
"I need the phone number for the person in charge of comedy in Hollywood."
"What is the African word for goulash?"
"What century were the 1950s in?"
"What is Tweety-Pie's gender?"
"Does the library have any books on any prominent people?"
"I need the Pledge of Allegiance in Russian."
"I need to contact Barbra Streisand because I've been decapitated and I think she may want to do a movie about it."
"Do you have the sheet music for '99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall'?"
"What's the definition of the word 'kah-teer'?" Librarian: "How do you spell it?" Patron: "Like in 'mouseketeer'."
"I'd like the music for Taco Bell's Canon in D."
"Can cross-eyed people be hypnotized?"
