Periodic: A Monthly Blog Feature

An occasional review of items that caught our eye in BPL’s magazine subscriptions.

Like any occupation, working around books can have its funny side. Noted for its humor features, Reader’s Digest published a few gems about books that we thought you’d appreciate.

Reader’s Digest is known for its various “reader favorites”, such as “Humor in Uniform” and “Life in these United States”. Once in a while the anecdotes touch on the world of books and libraries.

We thought we’d share with you a few of the anecdotes that have made us smile. This first batch is courtesy of Will Stevens of the Digest. Rather than being unkind, we think they reinforce the continued need for libraries!

• After searching in vain for a particular book on dinosaurs, a patron asked for help in in finding information about the Thesaurus.
• The woman looking for the book that had Jesus in it actually wanted the Bible.
• A young man working at a small publisher was tasked with editing a lot of diet books. He asked how the company expected to make a profit with so many books on the same topic. The reply: not to worry – “These books appeal to a wider audience than most”. OOPS!