Quirky Queries

Some of the interesting reference questions we've had recently that have stuck in my memory:

Information about the paper mill that is in ruins below Seeley's Pond in the Watchung Reservation. After looking through a binder of photographs and maps, the patron discovered that it is named Twin Falls Mill, and left with a DVD from the library's collection, Down by Seeley's Pond.

Background information about a historic home that was up for sale. Luckily I have paged through the index-less history of Berkeley Heights, From the Passaiack to the Wach Unks, enough times for the family name "Oechsner" to ring a bell.

Do we have Pillars of the Earth in large print? No, and the only way to get it is to join Doubleday's Large Print Book Club and buy it from them, or read it on an eReader. The regular print version is 973 pages long so that would be quite a tome in large print. If you are willing to read it on a computer, Nook or Sony Reader, it can be downloaded free with a library card at listennj.com.

Lots of middle schoolers and their parents looking for the history of a particular invention: television, trampolines, x-rays, Coca-Cola, and the submarine, among others. Here is a hint to keep your parents from tearing their hair out: see what the library has before you choose your topic.