If you're nostalgic for the era before Google, when information was far more elusive, the New York Public Library is here to serve you.
The library system with 92 branches in Manhattan, Staten Island and the Bronx employs nine librarians and information assistants to field phone calls and answer questions about everything from how to download an e-book to the cause of Prince's death.
Established in the 1960s, the Ask NYPL line (917-ASK-NYPL) takes queries about once an hour, Quartz reports. Over the past year, the team answering them by consulting the library's archives has received almost 60,000 calls, 20,000 emails, 17,000 chat messages, 500 text messages and more than 12 letters by post. At least five users dial in so frequently manager Rosa Caballero-Li recognizes their voices, Quartz reports.
Up to 80 percent of calls are about library services, but the other 20 percent inquire about topics such as the basic rules of grammar and the veracity of news stories.
Some submitted questions the Quartz article highlighted included "When did Moses first come into the public eye?" and "How many neurotic people are in the U.S.?"
The NYPL keeps records of its most ridiculous and memorable questions, so beware — librarians could be laughing at you a century from now.
You can always email us at DNAinfo with all your questions about New York City history and life at nlevy@dnainfo.com. We are digging around for answers and we promise discretion.
