How would you answer this question?

How would you answer this?

So my colleague came to me and said that there was a patron a high school student who was doing a report on “the impact of the economy on weaponry in world war one and world war two.”  So I went over to the patron and starting asking questions.  He said he was interested in how the economy affected the development of weapons.  I asked what kind of weapons he was talking about.  He said infantry weapons used by one person.  So I asked if he was leaving out machine guns.  He said no.  He said he had heard of one gun that was cheaply made and tended to jam in combat and it was British and called the “sung.”

This was the “Aha” moment.  I said did he mean the “sten.”  I explained that the sten was developed by designers Shepherd and Turpin and manufactured at the Enfield Small Arms factory.  I then pointed out several other weapons that had been developed because of the complexity of manufacturing their predecessors.  These were the MP40 German submachine gun which replaced the MP38 submachine gun, the MG42 German machine gun which replaced the MG34, the M3 American submachine gun which replaced the Thompson submachine gun.

I also mentioned the quickly manufactured anti tank weapons developed by the British to prevent the German invasion of Britain.  These were weapons like the Northover Projector.

I recommended the books Men Again Tanks by John Weeks and Smith and Smith Small arms of the world.  I also recommended strongly that he use Wikipedia even though the teacher did not want it.  I said he should follow the sources from the articles on these weapons.  For instance the article on the sten linked to a full text Popular Science article from 1943.

He was satisfied with these.

The question I have is that not many people are familiar with the sten and these other weapons.  How would a librarian without intimate knowledge of World War Two small arms handle this question?

Googling

British World War Two weapon that was cheap to make

brings up the Wikipedia articles on the submachine gun and the article on the sten.  This would help but I do not know if it would lead to other weapons. 

Without having the information about the weapons, what would be the best way to answer this question?

Gordian Knot Theory of Librarianship

A long time ago, when I was just starting out as a librarian, I received a reference question asking what were the biggest Boston newspapers in the 1850s.  This was shortly after my library had installed a computer with dial up access and Mozilla. 

So I looked at the print resources we had, and called the Boston Public Library and asked them the question. They answered and I called the patron back.

If I tried to use the Internet back then in 1995, it would have taken a very long time.  And I do not think that we had a reference book with the information.

This led me to the realization that many questions could be answered by finding someone who knew the answer and asking them.

And so I call this the Gordian Knot Theory of Librarianship.

Job Hunting

Why is it so hard to write about myself?  I am continually looking for job openings and then applying for them.  Many require an application in addition to a resume.  This seems like such a waste of time.

I find it hardest to write cover letters, where I can tout my accomplishments.  The problem is that I cannot remember a lot of them.  Having been at one library for fifteen years, much of my work seems to run together.  I need to tease our strands of accomplishments and present them to potential employers.

This is not fun.

First Post

I have been a reference librarian since 1993 and now I am looking for a position.  This is not where I expected to be at this stage in my career or life.

I am not finding a lot of positions in New Jersey so I am casting my net wider.  Since my wife is an employed librarian, a position out of commuting range would be a challenge.

I am starting this blog to give me something to do while I look for work and also as a place to ponder reference services and public libraries.