First published: 19 Mar

I have to agree with the French critic, novelist, and journalist Alphonse Karr (1808-90) when he wrote, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” When I started my library career back in 1981, the world was less populated and the newest office miracle everyone waited for was the Fax machine. Every business office prided itself on its array of sturdy electric typewriters, tall metal file cabinets, and Xerox copiers for the convenience of its secretaries. Heavy black desk phones were the main way to communicate with someone who wasn’t standing next to you.

How things have changed! Now, thirty years later, in early 2012, the world population has hit and surpassed seven billion, we take the Internet for granted, and e-mail is almost a thing of the past now that there’s instant communication with smart phones and texting. Before long, we may be able to think a thought and shoot it out to somebody else’s brain.

In the past, public libraries welcomed patrons who not only wanted a book to read but who also asked questions. With the advent of the Internet, and especially nifty search engines such as Google, libraries have had to continually reinvent themselves in order to keep up with technology and fill the changing needs of their patrons. But those patrons still want their questions answered, and that’s where AskMeHelpDesk comes in.

AskMeHelpDesk (unlike your local public library) is open twenty-four hours a day. Unfortunately, with this slower economy, many libraries have cut their hours. That makes it especially important to have another reliable source (in addition to your library—and your mom) for answers to your most pressing questions. You can crawl out of bed at to a.m. and ask AskMeHelpDesk a question that’s been keeping you from falling asleep. You can be on a hot date and use your iPhone to ask AskMeHelpDesk a question about etiquette or the wisdom of a sleepover. Since it’s a worldwide site, you’ll probably get an answer or two fairly quickly.

Also, AskMeHelpDesk doesn’t make judgments. It doesn’t care if it’s 3 p.m. and you’re still wearing your cowboy jammies, haven’t combed your hair yet, and are eating M&M Peanuts for a late brunch. (A librarian would “tsk, tsk,” and your mom would be thrown into a tizzy!) And, like your library and your mom, AskMeHelpDesk will be more than happy to answer your questions if there are enough details to make sense, and if they aren’t rude and full of bad words.

Yes, things certainly have changed, but people still have questions, and we can help with the answers. Here’s to that old IBM Typewriter and messy correction tape!