In A Hurry?

Asking the librarians at the ipl is not advised if you need an answer in less than 3 days. ipl Reference is run almost entirely by volunteers. At the present time, we can only check our inbox once a day, and it takes time to transfer the questions to a place where our volunteer librarians can read and answer them. Also, researching questions takes time, even on the Internet! We try to send an answer back to you within a few days, but harder questions may take us a week to answer.

Here are some other places where you may be able to get help if you need a faster response:

Your Local Library, if you have access to one. If you can’t visit it in person, you may be able to e-mail or phone the reference desk to get help without even going to the library.

• ipl’s Library Locator — Not sure how to contact your local library? Check out these web sites to find your nearest public library. Your local public library may even have a chat or e-mail reference service you could use, and you will often find a phone number.

• Search the ipl site: Find the ipl’s search box at the top of all of our pages.
• ipl Frequently Asked Questions — You may not think your question gets asked a lot, but you’d be surprised! Take a look at our FAQ’s and see what we’ve already answered for you!
• ipl Pathfinders: Guides to starting research in numerous subject areas, both in print and online.
• The ipl’s Science Fair Project Resource Guide can help kids get started on their science projects.
• ipl Resources by Subject: An annotated collection of high quality Internet resources, selected by ipl staff for their usefulness in providing accurate, factual information on a particular topic or topics. If you cannot find your answer in this collection…
  • ipl Resources by Subject–Reference–Web Directories: A collection of other websites that provide information on a particular topic or topics.
  • ipl Resources by Subject–Reference–Search Engines: A collection of popular and interesting search engines.