"Like...ask MR BEAT, man!"

(aka) Interesting & Amusing Reference Questions

*One of the best things about working at a Reference Desk is that most of the time you'll NEVER know what the library customer/patron is going to ask you for.

This little page will be an ongoing selection of our more...unusual and interesting...questions we've had people ask us at the desk. Hope you enjoy them!

So, who's Mr Beat? Well, he's just a little gif I found who reminded me of an obscure comic book character I kind of like and I named him in his honor. I suppose Mr Beat could be a reflection of that certain inner attitude it takes to properly work at a Reference Desk. Feel free to visit him from time to time just to see what he has to say...........

Interesting & Amusing Reference Questions:

1) What is the name of the indentation on our upper lips? Answer: It's called a F r u n u l u m.

2) What is the name of the island Ellis Island is on?

3) How do you convert Celsius to Fahrenheit? Answer: 9/5(C) + 32 = F. C=5/9 (F-32).

4) Scientific name of Corn?

5) Psychology of Serial Killers?

6) Space Shuttle Challenger disaster report?

7) When was the first recorded use of the "F-Word"? Answer: 1504, according the Oxford English Dictionary Supplement.

8) Books containing Irish castles in Germany?

9) What is the Pope's address?

Palazzo Apostolico

Vaticano

00120

Citta del Vaticano

Rome, Italy

10) Recipes for cooking a Groundhog.

11) What was the exact distance from the end of the muzzle of Oswald's rifle to President Kennedy's head from the Texas School Book Depository building?

**Answer: 174.9 feet to 190.8 feet, depending on which shot you want, the first or the last.

12) Eskimo/English translations: A patron recently asked for the Eskimo translations of the word, "Midnight" and the phrase, "First Born". Since there are several Eskimo languages, I had to pretty much pick and choose what I wanted.

A) Midnight: [Tlingit] "taat sitgawsaani" (There is an accent mark on the second letter "a" in the second word). I also found the word in Canadian Eskimo..."unnuar kretirarlugo".

B) First Born: I was unable to find a specific translation for this actual phrase but I did find one for the Inupiaq phrase "my oldest child" ... "afayukjiba".

13) An anonymous male patron wished to know the location of the men's room in the library even though the door was immediately nearby. He just wanted to check and make sure, I guess...

14) Where can one donate bodies?

15) What day will the library be closed for the Fourth of July?

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