Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Even Librarians Don't Know

This story has a Maine twist to it, but it's also about another state I love: New Mexico.

New Mexico is the only state in the country that has "USA" on its license plates. The reason being...there are many Americans who don't know New Mexico is a state. You think I'm kidding, but it's very true. I've witnessed it myself many times. In college, when I told people I was going to New Mexico for Christmas, I would get asked, "Do you have your passport?" I overheard a tourist at Old Town in Albuquerque say to a shop clerk, "I'm surprised how many people speak English in your country." This news story actually doesn't have anything to do with the fact that people don't know that New Mexico is a state, the story just reminded me how poor some people's understanding of geography is.

So here's the story from the Kennebec Journal/Morning Sentinel papers:
By Kaitlin Schroeder Staff Writer

"Twice this month, books bound for the Farmington Public Library have taken a wrong turn and ended up in Farmington, N.M.

"Assistant director Jen Scott said patrons frequently request books from other libraries through an interlibrary loan.

"The Farmington Public Library in New Mexico was accidentally sent books — twice — meant for Farmington Public Library in Maine, so the New Mexico library sent them on to Maine with the notes shown here.

"On April 9, a package arrived at the library from the library in Farmington, N.M. In it was a book that had inadvertently been returned to the southwestern state.

"'The package was from Farmington Public Library to Farmington Public Library, which was kind of comical,' said Scott.

"Later in April, a different library lending the Farmington library material made the same mistake and sent its package to Farmington, N.M.

"Scott said she isn’t sure what states the senders lived in.

"She said she sent an email to the New Mexico library to thank them for returning the books, and the staff wrote back saying they couldn’t remember this ever happening before.

(photo linked from http://www.centralmaine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/388699_864803-library-note.jpg)