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:

• Libweb — Not sure how to contact your local library? Check this web site to see if your library has a web site with its contact information on it. They may even have an e-mail reference service you could use.

• IPL Frequently Asked Reference Questions — You may not think your question gets asked a lot, but you'd be surprised! Take a look at our FARQ'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.
• IPL Subject Collections: 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.
• Search the IPL site (hint: try searching with broad terms rather than specific words)
• The IPL's Science Fair Project Resource Guide can help kids get started on their science projects.