Area 51 » Professional

244

followers

This proposal is now in the Beta phase — example questions are locked!

60 Example Questions (12 closed)

active oldest votes

up vote 25 down vote

added by raven Jul 10 '10 at 18:41

Call me an addle-pate, but they tried to explain it to us in grade school and I always found it unfathomable. – raven Jul 10 '10 at 18:44

It's on topic, but I cannot stand Dewey -- the problem is, each library develops their own rules on where you'd store something like a book on the history of german trains (and then is it the use of them, the manufacturing of them, etc?) Mind you, I'm not a fan of subject headings either. I prefer UCD ... but I'm not a librarian) – Joe Jul 10 '10 at 22:12

I can't understand it either, I just search by subject in the catalogue, if I'm doing research or what have you, and then memorize the little sequence of numbers it gives me....Then I just hope I can actually find it.... – kitukwfyer Jul 15 '10 at 16:51

The easy answer is that it groups books of the same topic together so that they are in the same section or shelf of the library. Prior non-fiction books were shelved by author, accession date, and if I remember correctly, in one instance by color of binding. – Mr. Fish Jul 29 '10 at 13:25

up vote 23 down vote

added by Joe Jul 15 '10 at 12:13

up vote 22 down vote

added by M. Alan Thomas II Jul 15 '10 at 10:20

I'm posting versions of popular questions on Unshelved answers to see how exactly this new site's focus would match the old one's; original question by Elsa. – M. Alan Thomas II Jul 15 '10 at 10:20

(This is a type of "name-that-book question, obviously.) – M. Alan Thomas II Jul 15 '10 at 10:26

This is my favorite type of name-that-book question because instead of asking ten thousand people to remember a single book, it efficiently crowdsources a very particular reading list. – billba Jul 15 '10 at 21:23

up vote 21 down vote

added by M. Alan Thomas II Jul 15 '10 at 10:32

I'm posting versions of popular questions on Unshelved answers to see how exactly this new site's focus would match the old one's; original question by Cynthia. – M. Alan Thomas II Jul 15 '10 at 10:33

up vote 20 down vote

added by Melissa Jul 15 '10 at 13:31

mulch? Actually, as their warehouse used to be ~6 miles from us, I used to take the stuff that we couldn't sell (or we knew was unlikely to sell) to BIG : big-books.org Unfortunately, they moved last month so it's less convenient now. You might look to see if you have any similar charities in your area. We're also looking into donating age-appropriate books to the local youth detention center. – Joe Jul 15 '10 at 14:05

Joe, I was thinking about putting them in my teenage son's room, which I am convinced is a black hole ... sorry, couldn't resist. I will try to focus seriously now ... – Melissa Jul 15 '10 at 14:20

up vote 16 down vote

added by Emily J Jul 10 '10 at 1:56

up vote 16 down vote

added by Joe Jul 10 '10 at 4:18

If only someone had a tried and true solution to this one :o) – Emily J Jul 13 '10 at 6:05

Sign: "Unattended children will be given an espresso and a free puppy." Sorry, I know I'm not supposed to answer the question, but I couldn't resist. – Vebjorn Ljosa Jul 14 '10 at 19:42

The espresso and free puppy are my favorite. Make sure you have a policy indicated what is ok as far as unattended children (what age ranges can be left alone). Try to get a phone number of the parent so that you can call next time. – Jeff Scott Jul 15 '10 at 15:23

Isn't this similar to the weeding question? Aren't they both about people trying to get rid of something that someone will be critical about the method? :) – Mr. Fish Jul 25 '10 at 18:38

up vote 14 down vote

added by Emily J Jul 10 '10 at 1:51

	You might want to rephrase this so that it doesn't sound like it's being addressed /to/ aggressive patrons. – M. Alan Thomas II Jul 16 '10 at 20:15
	I don't know. I think it's clear enough that "them" refers to "Aggressive patrons." It has the added advantage of immediately clarifying the interest of the question. – kitukwfyer Jul 17 '10 at 4:47

up vote 8 down vote

added by William Jul 13 '10 at 11:54

Can the example question be formulated in a different way in order to attract less subjective answers? – Vebjorn Ljosa Jul 14 '10 at 19:40

I'm not sure what the "As more content becomes digital" part of the question has to do with the second half. That is, it seems to be making the assumption that dedicated libraries inside big companies will be affected by the shift, which some might argue is not the case. Drop that part of the question and it's perfectly on-topic. – M. Alan Thomas II Jul 15 '10 at 10:04

Thanks for suggestions. Updated to remove digital content link. – William Jul 15 '10 at 10:29

up vote 8 down vote

added by William Jul 13 '10 at 11:55

	seems to jump into legalities rather than libraries, but an interesting question, nonetheless – warren Jul 26 '10 at 20:20
	School Library Journal has a column on copyright issues like this one that come up in libraries often, so I'd say its relevant. – In the Booley House Jul 27 '10 at 12:45

up vote 8 down vote

added by Jennifer T., edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Jul 16 '10 at 0:25

Thanks for the edit. Much better wording. – Jennifer T. Jul 16 '10 at 4:52

up vote 8 down vote

added by zemkat Jul 15 '10 at 21:50

up vote 8 down vote

added by moberley Jul 20 '10 at 21:43

Great question, plus I'm really curious to read others' responses. – Emily J Aug 4 '10 at 4:59

up vote 7 down vote

added by Hope Jul 16 '10 at 18:29

up vote 7 down vote

added by moberley Jul 20 '10 at 20:59

up vote 6 down vote

added by zemkat Jul 15 '10 at 21:19

up vote 6 down vote

added by Sydney, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Aug 7 '10 at 15:18

up vote 6 down vote

added by Hope Jul 16 '10 at 18:27

up vote 6 down vote

added by moberley Jul 20 '10 at 22:29

Another great on-topic, thanks! – Emily J Aug 4 '10 at 4:59

up vote 6 down vote

added by In the Booley House Jul 21 '10 at 13:32

I guess I've run out of votes for on-topic, so I'll give my thumbs up here. – Emily J Aug 4 '10 at 4:58

up vote 6 down vote

added by warren Jul 27 '10 at 18:39

up vote 5 down vote

added by William Jul 13 '10 at 11:43

I think it really depends on the ILS (integrated library system for those unfamiliar with the jargon) of the library. Our ILS, Horizon, allows for a maximum of 150 items to be checked out. The reason we know this is because a patron actually checked out that many items at once before Horizon basically said, "Enough!" We have patrons ask what the maximum number is all the time, but once we tell them, they say, "Oh, we're not going to need that much." I think it's more a matter of comfort in knowing they have such a large possible number. – Amy Aug 25 '10 at 13:29

up vote 5 down vote

added by M. Alan Thomas II Jul 15 '10 at 10:15

This is based on the highest-voted Unshelved Answers question; I'm trying to see how exactly this new site's focus would match the old one's – M. Alan Thomas II Jul 15 '10 at 10:15

(Original question by Cori on Unshelved Answers.) – M. Alan Thomas II Jul 15 '10 at 10:25

I can understand why people enjoy answering this question. It's a real crowd-pleaser. But does it really help anyone? – billba Jul 15 '10 at 21:25

It can help if someone is thinking about going into librarianship, and want to hear some examples of what we like about being librarians. – Sydney Jul 15 '10 at 21:55

up vote 5 down vote

added by billba, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Aug 7 '10 at 15:20

This sort of "name that book" question is EXTREMELY common on Unshelved Answers. I tentatively think it's an appropriate question. – billba Jul 15 '10 at 21:14

At least you give the basic plot. Can't tell you how many times I faced less-informative, same-type at the public library: "Do you know where the red book went?" Can't vote on-topic anymore or I would; help with these questions is most welcome in my opinion. – Melissa Jul 15 '10 at 21:23

(If you feel this question is more op-topic than another you voted for, you can change your vote) – billba Jul 15 '10 at 21:43

up vote 5 down vote

added by Cori Jul 19 '10 at 17:27

up vote 4 down vote

added by M. Alan Thomas II Jul 15 '10 at 10:11

This is based on an Unshelved Answers question I wrote; I'm trying to see how exactly this new site's focus would match the old one's. – M. Alan Thomas II Jul 15 '10 at 10:13

Would it be considered more on-topic if it were more generic -- What is a good resource for identifying novels by genre? – Melissa Jul 15 '10 at 13:48

That would be a cool question, but I'm not sure if there is a "good" way. I'd LOVE to find one, though. – kitukwfyer Jul 15 '10 at 16:49

I actually like how specific this one is -- this is the sort of question you'd need to take to your expert circle of librarian colleagues! – zemkat Jul 15 '10 at 21:02

So far this question has the most split vote I've seen in this proposal. (3-4-0 as of this writing.) I don't know what that says about it, or the proposal. There are lots of resources for lists of books in a particular genre, but I have yet to find one that covers all of Oppenheim. It would take quite a lot of work to do it myself; he wrote around 150 novels! – M. Alan Thomas II Jul 16 '10 at 19:59

up vote 4 down vote

added by M. Alan Thomas II Jul 15 '10 at 10:25

I'm posting versions of popular questions on Unshelved answers to see how exactly this new site's focus would match the old one's; original question by Libby. This is a type of "name-that-book question, obviously. – M. Alan Thomas II Jul 15 '10 at 10:26

I find the "name that book" questions helpful. Those are some of the tougher questions we get at a public library, and the insight (and memories) of other librarians is extremely useful. – B White Jul 15 '10 at 12:34

up vote 4 down vote

added by Amy Jul 19 '10 at 23:56

up vote 4 down vote

added by Rogers Aug 25 '10 at 12:35

up vote 3 down vote

added by Hope Jul 15 '10 at 13:46

closed as off topic by Melissa, Jennifer T., user10929, Barb, Georgeanne Aug 24 '10 at 0:50

This question does not relate to the topic of the proposal.
It was closed as part of an automated migration of off-topic to close votes on September 29, 2011.

Out of curiosity - those who say this is off-topic, why? – Hope Jul 16 '10 at 18:23

I didn't vote on it, but I'm wondering if this is the place for general-information questions (that could be answered with a quick phone call to the local library)? – Melissa Jul 17 '10 at 2:39

Errm...I feel dumb. I don't know what that is! I'm guessing I don't need to...? For what it's worth, I can (easily) imagine not knowing what that is, seeing "library," and thinking this might be the place to ask. – kitukwfyer Jul 17 '10 at 4:53

I think straight foward questions as this would be on topic, however should probably be catagorized in it's own section, as it won't leave much for open dialog or commenting, btw the answer is... catalog.gpo.gov/fdlpdir/FDLPdir.jsp :) – Pony Aug 11 '10 at 0:35

up vote 3 down vote

added by Hope Jul 16 '10 at 18:26

up vote 3 down vote

added by In the Booley House Jul 21 '10 at 21:29

closed as off topic by random, user17455, user17467, user17476, user17485 Aug 25 '10 at 12:42

This question does not relate to the topic of the proposal.
It was closed as part of an automated migration of off-topic to close votes on September 29, 2011.

up vote 3 down vote

added by warren Jul 27 '10 at 18:44

up vote 3 down vote

added by aslum, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Aug 7 '10 at 14:35

up vote 2 down vote

added by warren Jul 27 '10 at 18:39

up vote 1 down vote

added by Emily J Jul 10 '10 at 1:54

closed as off topic by Joe, xkcd150, William, billba, kwacky1 Jul 15 '10 at 12:31

This question does not relate to the topic of the proposal.
It was closed as part of an automated migration of off-topic to close votes on September 29, 2011.

	If this were rephrased (or interpreted) as a general question about self-published books and library acquisition policies, it would be perfectly on-topic. – M. Alan Thomas II Jul 15 '10 at 9:57
	Why would a library "tell people to buy it"? ..isn't half the point of a library's existence to allow multiple people to read one copy of a work? – warren Jul 30 '10 at 18:41
	Exactly, that's why it's a good example of an off topic question :o) – Emily J Aug 4 '10 at 4:54

up vote 1 down vote

added by William Jul 13 '10 at 11:59

closed as off topic by Vebjorn Ljosa, billba, Melissa, John H, kitukwfyer Jul 15 '10 at 16:52

This question does not relate to the topic of the proposal.
It was closed as part of an automated migration of off-topic to close votes on September 29, 2011.

	This would be more on-topic if rephrased to include something along the lines of "Does your library have a marketing budget, and if so, how does it spend it?" and/or something asking about the effectiveness of marketing. – M. Alan Thomas II Jul 15 '10 at 10:00
	How about "What ways do you find effective to communicate services and programs to your community?" – Mr. Fish Jul 25 '10 at 18:34

up vote 1 down vote

added by Joe Jul 16 '10 at 16:34

	Might not have a 'best' answer, but just trying to identify if more library-science-y questions are appropriate, or if we're looking at just public & special libraries type questions. – Joe Jul 16 '10 at 16:35
	The wider the range of library experts involved in this proposed site the more likely it is that it will survive in the Stack Exchange ecosystem. Therefore I think library science questions should be included even though I don't know a lot about that aspect. – moberley Jul 20 '10 at 22:12