Re: Ridiculous Reference Questions

[Debbie Boutwell <Debbou@CC.USU.EDU>]

I also would never laugh at a patrons request, but have certainly had some
strange ones.  I work at a laboratory school on a university campus and
have many university students use the center.  One request by a pre-service
teacher was for pictures of dinosaurs.  When I showed her the books we had
and the picture sets, she said "Oh no, I don't want drawings I want some
real pictures, you know photographs."  She did not want photographs of
fossils, bones or models. She was very serious when she asked for pictures
of the real dinosaurs.  I was very polite when I pointed out that I didn't
think that the camera had been invented back then.  It was too bad this
request was before the movie Jurassic Park came out maybe she would been
happy with stills from it.  Another pre-service teacher came to me with a
request for fiction or picture books about tools.  I gave her several
titles that had technology as a focus or as a part of the story, but she
was not happy, what she really wanted and asked for was a story about a
screwdriver, a wrench, a hammer, etc.  I never did find one for her.  I am
pretty sure that the people who ask some of these strange questions really
haven't thought out how they must sound.  But just the same it is a little
scary that these requests came from people who hope to be employed as
teachers.
Debbie Boutwell
Edith Bowen Lab School
Utah State University