Have a question? Call a librarian!

Today's The Columbus Dispatch has an article on the important and valuable work librarians continue to do in spite of those detractors who argue that everything can be found online and that as the amount of technology increases, there will be no need for libraries and librarians.

Specifically, the article focuses on the Columbus Metropolitan Library's Information Line, which patrons can call to get answers to any and all questions. Last year, librarians handled upward of 320,000 reference questions through the line. In addition to calling, patrons can submit questions via e-mail or chat with a librarian in real time through the KnowItNow program, which is staffed by librarians throughout the state of Ohio.

The article includes a list of some of the questions recently received by librarians, along with
the sources they used to answer them. That list will become a regular feature, "Who Knew?," which will run in the paper's Life section on the first Sunday of each month.