A/S/L?

Hello.

I’m Mark Knox. I currently work as a reference intern at Northwestern University’s downtown campus. I’m also a professional tutor.

I enjoy science fiction, philosophy (specifically the works of Frederic Nietzsche), video games, P.G. Wodehouse, and the feeling of vague superiority that my interests give me.

I think I might be a hipster, but I don’t think I take myself seriously enough for this title to be truly fitting. Also, some would say that the mere fact that I consider the fact that I am quite possibly a hipster means that I am not a hipster.

Reference work is interesting and frustrating. So often, answering a question or finding a specific resource is hard because of the inherent difficulties of human communication. I’d like to think I am pretty good at it: asking open ended questions is a great way figure out what people are actually after and so many people have a hard time asking such questions. Certainly, it is more than an art than a science.

I think the most important issue in libraries, perhaps the most important issue in democratic societies, is information quality. The fact is, people rely on junk information that suit their original philosophies and biases. Libraries have the potential to change this.