Libraries have gone through many changes in recent years, some more laudable than others. Earlier this week we looked at the reinvention of the library card. Our original spotlight was on London - but such was the response that we posted a second piece featuring some of the dozens of other colourful examples sent in by readers around the world.

Today, we cast a nostalgic eye back in time – to the days when readers regarded librarians as a cross between oracles, therapists and confessors, phoning in the most personal, complex or frankly dotty questions which were dutifully copied out, often in longhand. The New York Public Library has been publishing a cache of vintage question cards on its Instagram account and on Twitter via the hashtag #letmelibrarianthatforyou. Since we first reported on it back in January, the questions have kept on coming. Here are some of our favourites, revealing the many roles that the librarian has played in the public imagination.

For the therapist



‘What does it mean when you dream you’re being chased by an elephant?’ 5/27/47

For the family lawyer

‘Is there a law in NYC whereby a child can become unrelated to its parent if they don’t like each other?’ 2/20/61

For the art historian

‘Why do 18th century English paintings have so many squirrels in them, and how did they tame them so that they wouldn’t bite the painter?’ 10/76 Photograph: NYPL

For the poetry professor

‘Is it good poetry where every other line rhymes, instead of having each line rhyme with the one before it[?] by phone, Feb 14, 1944’ Photograph: NYPL

‘Please explain to me the poem Crossing the Bar by Browning!!’ Photograph: NYPL





For the herbalist

‘What is the therapeutic value of essence of pine needles?’ 1/21/47 Photograph: NYPL

For Franz Kafka

‘Please give me the name of a book that dramatizes bedbugs?’ - PQ 9/22/44 Photograph: NYPL

For the doula

‘Where can I find something on the comical aspects of pregnancy?’ Sept 3 / 1[9]62 Photograph: NYPL





For the postman

‘[Question:] Could you tell me the thickness of a US Postage Stamp with the glue on it?

[Answer:] Sorry we couldn’t tell you that quickly, why don’t you try the post office.

[Reply:] ‘This is the post office.’ Photograph: NYPL

For the ecologist

‘15 June, 1967, [Question:] What is the natural enemy of a duck?

[Librarian:] What do you mean?

[Reply:] Well, a whole flight of them landed in my pool and I have waved a broom at them but all they do is look at me and quack. I thought I could introduce the natural enemy into the pool area.’ Photograph: NYPL

For the choreographer



‘What is the significance of the hip movement in the Hawaiian dance?’ Telephone call July 16, 1944 Photograph: NYPL

For the ethnographer

‘[Question] What country has the highest number of honorable women?

[Answer] Well, it’s a matter of definition, isn’t it?’ Photograph: NYPL

For the woman scorned

‘Question received over telephone: Any statistics on the life span of the abandoned woman?’ Photograph: NYPL

The New York Library and libraries worldwide are not just churches for books, they are centres of information, interaction and integration. The NYPL’s queries service is still providing answers to those without the resources to look them up for themselves. You can view more from the NYPL Archives on their Instagram page.