Week of final exams. They end tomorrow. By now, students should be hunkering down, finishing up tests, papers, projects, etc. Some however cut it close. Just got a virtual reference query for a pretty complex research question. Someone will be burning midnight oil. Yea, I got them the help they needed now.

When your campus website is a marketing device with no real use to finding actual information (just send us money and apply to enroll), so you have to do a Google site search to find a phone number or other basic info about your own campus. . .

> The Future of SCOTUSblog
https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/04/the-future-of-scotusblog/

Shit, they sold out/got acquired. #SCOTUSBlog has always been a good source for anything #SCOTUS and other legal content. We'll have to see what the new landlords do.

"I spent the better part of two days and nights listening to students answer questions at the Foy desk, where phones have been ringing since 1953, when James E. Foy, Auburn’s then dean of students, opened the line as a resource for students and then as a service to the public." —Emily McCrary for Oxford American

https://oxfordamerican.org/oa-now/the-alabama-landline-that-keeps-ringing

New on our #library #blog: "Remembering and learning about Pope Francis (1936-2025)"
https://libraryguides.berea.edu/blog/Remembering-and-learning-about-Pope-Francis-1936-2025

Just a small note I wrote of #books and resources on the man, the Catholic Church, and a bit more.

<rant> Every time I go search our catalog for books on topic, and it's all ebooks, an angel falls out of the sky. Was going to do a blog post with books about Papa Francisco, and all ebooks, i.e. not easily accessible </rant>

And I am stopping while ahead.

Of interest for some.

> "State Terror: A brief guide for Americans" by Timothy Snyder
https://snyder.substack.com/p/state-terror

Easter or not, I am working #ReferenceDesk at the library today. If you celebrate, Happy Easter. If not, then Happy Sunday.

The #CosmicJoker does have some humor. End of day close, I step back from my laptop to do some reading...moment I do that, the virtual reference beep goes off, and my student gets it. But, to be amusing, question is complex so they come get me. Back to the chain gang.

Blessed be the #divinehumor

Of interest for some. Via @internetarchive

> Aruba’s Digitized Slavery Documents Added to UNESCO’s International Memory of the World Register https://blog.archive.org/2025/04/15/arubas-digitized-slavery-documents-added-to-unescos-international-memory-of-the-world-register/

Signs your campus website leaves much to be desired. To search it better to do a Google site search of the site instead of the site's search box.

This means: term site:(put in the site url here w/o parenthesis)

A side note about #ICanHazPDF and such, got virtual request from overseas client about accessing an older rare book (rare as in few libraries have it, not monetary value). Book is not digitized. Short small book, so I went ahead, scanned a copy, and sent it off to the scholar.

Just another service we provide at times.

#MercuryRetrograde may be ending today, but apparently shadow still fighting to hold on. Work emails going to spam that should go to my regular inbox (overly aggressive IT filter is my guess), and then dealing with tech semi-literate patron. Just another day at #ReferenceDesk.

Putting in some time at #ReferenceDesk. In person or virtual, we got answers.

Of possible interest for some folks. #FYI #PSA

> How to restore access to classic Notepad on Windows 11 https://www.ghacks.net/2025/03/26/how-to-restore-access-to-classic-notepad-on-windows-11/

Oh oh, need to sit up straight and look presentable. One of the campus development honchos walked in with bunch of big wigs into library on way to who knows where.

Catching my breath a bit. Four research consults with students in one day; it's been a busy day. Tomorrow, teaching a class and two more consults scheduled.

Hey, keeps me off the streets.

Wow, this was a long day, busy, doing research consults with students, but it is the good busy. A bit tiring for the (highly functional) introvert, but we did a bit of good today.

And tomorrow is another day. And I am grateful I was able to do a bit of the good work.

Blessed be the #DivineHumor

Wow, today has been a bit busier than I anticipated. I had a walk-in research consult, and another appointment that somehow did not make it to my calendar, but we were ready to roll anyhow.

One more consult this afternoon. Now, putting in time at #ReferenceDesk