I'm looking for a book...

[houdini]

This is pretty normal in a Library, but I think I just had a facepalm winner.

"I'm looking for a book."

"Yesss...?"

Blank look.

Ok, then. "Do you have the classmark?"

Blank look.

"Uh, a title? Who was the author?"

A lightbulb goes off. "Well, I know they're at this campus!"

*restrain urge to facepalm in front of the customer* "Let me just show you how to use the catalogue..."

[Kittish]

I really was expecting "It's blue!" And I'd have been tempted after that first blank look to just grab the nearest book and hand it to them with a cheery "Here you go! Have a great day!"

[AnaKhouri]

I've worked at a bookstore for 14 years. It's a running joke.

"I'm looking for a book...it was on the radio...it's about a war...and I don't know if it's fiction or nonfiction...or when it came out...or who wrote it...but it might have been a male author...or maybe a female one."

Luckily most people realize how vague they are being and are aware it's a long shot. But once this snobby woman asked me for a book someone told her about on 'the Creation' with no other information and got pissed and huffed off when it took me more than 30 seconds to research it (and no, I never found it).

[XCashier]

But once this snobby woman asked me for a book someone told her about on 'the Creation' with no other information and got pissed and huffed off when it took me more than 30 seconds to research it (and no, I never found it).

I'd've just handed her a Bible.

[Racket_Man]

I guess I am too nice as I do know what I specifically want ------My trip to Barnes & Nobel

[Shyla]

There's a Gore Vidal book that I think is titled Creation. Historical fiction of a guy who is an ambassador from Persia who likes to learn what others believe about the creation of the world.

[An Haddock]

Do you have that movie about that guy that did that thing?

[RealUnimportant]

It's the book of the film... Or was it the book they made into a film? Anyway, it's got her in it. You know, that actress.

[houdini]

I really was expecting "It's blue!"

Thing is, that one's not even a joke for me - I was asked for "a blue book with red title" and I FOUND IT!

[scruff]

I felt really bad a few years ago (preGoogle) asking for "a sarcastic dictionary but kinda not a real dictionary."
I remember being really impressed the bookseller found the one I wanted for a birthday present really quickly.( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Devil%27s_Dictionary ).

[Chainsmith]

Is it wrong of me to want to write a book series titled "It's Blue" or "It's Red"? And have it just be the same book on the inside. Listing stupid things to do at a store, including asking for a book by the color of the cover.

[depechemodefan]

At the library, we did have books called "The Red Book" and "The Blue Book". in fact, I think there are several books by that title.

"The Red Book" is a banking reference book. "The Blue Book" is actually the "Kelley Blue Book" of car and truck values. Though we used the NADA book to look for values of cars and trucks. Then I heard of "The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation," though I never used it.

[Mental_Mouse]

"Well, you've come to the right place! We've got 100,000 books on three floors, please be careful on the stairs, everything's in sections, and there's a list of sections right over Sandy's desk. If there's anything in particular you're looking for, you can ask Sandy or myself, or you're welcome to browse."

(Standard spiel for newcomers to the used-book store where I work for Sandy.)

[Sparklyturtle]

I'm amazed at how librarians and book store employees can find things with so little information. I'm sure you could all figure it out if someone said, "It's a book about a guy on Mars."

[Sheldonrs]

I really was expecting "It's blue!" And I'd have been tempted after that first blank look to just grab the nearest book and hand it to them with a cheery "Here you go! Have a great day!"

I did that many times when I was a librarian. Lol