Dumb questions

[LibraryLady]

In the Library world it's a given that there are no dumb questions.

To that, I say HOGWASH!

Dumb questions are rare but, when they show up, they're doozies. Here's my all-time favorite dumb question:

"Is it true that the pyramids were built from the bottom-up?"

[smileyeagle1021]

"Is it true that the pyramids were built from the bottom-up?"

no, yes see, they were really built by an advanced alien race known as the Guo'ld who used them as landing platforms for their ships when they were coming in to pick which slaves would be turned into new hosts...

[EmilyRose1982]

I swear, all the middle-aged kids that come into my coffee shop are absolute IDIOTS.

Here's a fairly recent tidbit:

SC: I'll have a (insert drink name here)
Me: Ok, is there anything else I can get you today?
SC: Yeah, can you cash this check for me?
Me:..............Uh, no....

What I REALLY wanted to say was "what does this place look like, a fucking BANK???" And yes, the kid was completely serious--he looked disappointed when I said no.

[Imogene]

then how much the president liked it or not,

No wonder I have to trek through the dungeons to find the books I like...

little hand points to the hour and the little hand points to the minute

My favorite stupid question I've told a handful of times on here.
Working in a Movie store, standing in the back talking to the SM, guy walks into the store, and all the way to the back of the store to ask me, bypassing TK who was standing at the register up front, having just finished with his customer. Guy asks me, "Do you sell furniture here?"

[depechemodefan]

Customer standing in front of a wall of novels all by authors whose last name starts with "A" and they are sorted alphabetically. To their right are more "A" atthors and some "B" authors.

"How are these arranged?"

I have to ask: Where, once you get below subject divisions, are books sorted by anything other than author/editor's last name?

At a small library where I work there are 3 rows of shelves for the fiction, which goes by author. Five min. till closing a customer comes up and says, "There was this book at the end of this row (note, this is the second row) on display and I don't see it anymore." I tell her that someone probably picked it up. So she goes to check out and she tells the circulation person "I couldn't find the Zane book that was on display." So the circ. person goes to the "Z" section, which is at the end of the third row. I just wondered, when the customer was in the second row and saw a whole bunch of books that had "L" on the spine, besides the name of the book and the author, she thought that the alphabet ended with "L"?

Now, when the author's name is hypenated? God knows how it occurs to the processing people to use the name on the left side of the hyphen for some authors, and for other authors they use the one the right side. Then there are a few authors where sometimes half the author's books are cataloged by the name on the left side of the hyphen, and the other half by the name on the right side....

Oh, sometimes the paperbacks are organized by last name of author and by title. For ex., I found several Buffy The Vampire Slayer books either under "B" or under the author's name. And sometimes the same title, but multiple copies, would be in both places.

[vloglady]

Sorry, I also have no idea what "shaken iced tea" is. I've had lots of iced tea, what's the difference between iced tea and shaken iced tea?

and McDonalds here in NY has just been promoting "sweet iced tea". Isn't iced tea made with lemon juice and sugar? I know in the South there is something called Sweet Tea. how is that different from regular iced tea and from McDonald;s sweet tea?

thanks.

Susan

[Mark Healey]

This is a stupid question that is always after I've given the information that answers it.

Phone Enquirer: "I have a bunch of books I'd like to sell and want to see if you are interrested in them".

Me: "Well I really need to see the books before I can say anything intelligent about them, About all I can say is that we don't want anything that is too ephemeral like text books, professiional references or best seller type novels that are more than a year or so old in hardback or two or three in paperback."

PE: "I have a bunch of Tom Clancy first editions and...."

ME: "Those are best seller types. Like I said I really need to see the books."
What did I just say about best seller type fiction?

PE: "Well what about..."

ME: "I need to see the books"
Second time

PE: "I want to know which ones to bring in"

ME: "I'm sorry but there are too many variables to go over on the phone. I really need the book in my hand."
Third time

PE: "How about if I sent you a list?"

ME: "I need to see the books".
Foruth time

PE: "They're all in really good shape."

ME: "Again I really need to see the books, there are too many variables to go over on the phone."
Fifth time
.
.
.
Eventually they get it. I think my record for telling them that I need to see the book is eight.