The Internet may be the place for independent research, but users can still find a helping hand.Students can now find answers to their questions within two days — guaranteed — by visiting the Ames Library Web site and filling out a short form. “We return answers within two days, depending on the question,” said Ross Petra, reference librarian at Ames Public Library. “Depending on the nature of the question, we can have an answer within the day.”Users arriving at the site fill out a information form which includes their name, e-mail address, phone information and question. If the reference librarian cannot answer the question, he or she may give suggestions of references in which the answers may be found, according to the library Web site.Other libraries in the area also are doing similar Web reference projects, including the ISU Parks Library. Leann Alexander, former reference assistant for Parks Library, said the site has been up and running since July 1996. “Our first question was two words: invertebrate biology,” she said. “People thought we were a search engine rather than a question-and-answer utility.”Parks Library is not alone in receiving unusual requests. The Ames library received a message from a person who wanted the library staff to send a birthday greeting to a patron of the library, said Norma Dowell, library assistant at Parks Library. While there may be some confusion in the beginning, most question e-mails are from children working on reports for school or people living overseas seeking information. The service is beneficial to both the user and library employees, helping both obtain more knowledge, she said.”A man from France asked us if we had a book that was considered rare,” Dowell said. “Without his question, we would have never known the rarity of the book.”

Those interested in more information can log on to the Ames Library Web site at www.ames.lib.ia.us and the Parks Library Web Site at www.lib.iastate.edu.