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.
