This year is the 50th anniversary of the Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation and Fantasy (originally the Spaced Out Library), one of the Toronto Public Library's special collections.
Because of the pandemic, there won't be an official ceremony, but the TPL website has put together a collection of anecdotes and memories from some of the librarians.
What is the strangest or most memorable patron request you ever received?
Lorna: On my first day of work, a patron ran in and demanded "that book you have on UFOs, with the chart so that people can distinguish between the ones with round lights and the ones with square lights." Other memorable questions included the Madonna of Lourdes as a UFO phenomenon, the possibility of pregnancy for vampires, Victorian era fiction involving carnivorous plants, transhumanism, etc. A recurring favourite question was the quest for H.P. Lovecraft's Necronomicon. Apocryphal books were always in demand.
People tend not to remember the authors or titles of short stories. More patrons than I could count over the years wanted to know the title of the short story where someone travels back in time to hunt a dinosaur and kills a butterfly and everything changes. "The Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury was probably the most requested short story ever.
I should note that my wife, Nancy, worked there as a library technician for a couple of years before we had our first child. We were both part of the Building Committee that helped plan the new library where the collection now resides. We visit there every chance we get and I encourage you to do the same once the pandemic settles down.
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