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Reference librarians stay busy even in age of Google

Reference Librarian Katrina Bate looks for mystery novels in need of repair Wednesday, April 21, at the Oxford Lane Library.

Staff photo by Nick Daggy Reference Librarian Katrina Bate looks for mystery novels in need of repair Wednesday, April 21, at the Oxford Lane Library.

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By Ryan Gauthier, Staff Writer Updated 9:00 AM Monday, April 26, 2010

OXFORD — “Do you have the latest Danielle Steel book?”

“Who is the district manager at Kroger?”

“What is the weather like in New York?”

No two questions are alike for a reference librarian, meaning each day on the job is a drastically different affair.

Rebecca Smith, branch manager at the Oxford Lane Library, said in her 10 years of working she has heard just about every question under the sun.

“There is no typical day for me,” Smith said. “People will come in and ask their question and it’s not always clear what their information needs are. Sometimes knowing the question is just as difficult as finding the answer.”

In the age of Google and Wikipedia, is there as much demand for a reference librarian? That is one of the few questions Smith can’t answer.

“We’re still used, just in a different way,” Smith said. “The amount of homework questions for kids has decreased and we’re not sure if it’s because teachers are focused on a more specific curriculum or if students are just using Google for everything.”

Katrina Bate, a reference librarian at the Hamilton Lane Library, said much of her job has shifted to the digital world, with just as many answers found via the internet as more traditional means like an encyclopedia.

“I’ve settled a number of bets over time,” Bate laughed.

Questions change along with the seasons, Bate said, with customers looking for beach reads in the summer, DVDs when kids are out of school and craft ideas during the winter months.

The only constant in their job is the regular blitz of calls every time Oprah talks about a new book.

“We can always tell when she’s talked about a book,” Smith said. “At around 4:30 p.m. we’ll suddenly get this flood of calls from people all asking for the same title. We pretty quickly figure out it’s Oprah.”

As for the most bizarre question Smith has ever received, she recalls one time a mother was in the library trying to help her child research a bird for a class project.

“She had to find the bird’s song,” Smith said. “I tried to help, but she kept insisting it was something along the lines of ‘Rockin’ Robin.’ That was a tough one.”

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2871 or at rgauthier@coxohio.com.

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