I disagree, the server has a wealth of information readily at hand, it is a connection into real content. Think of the wealth of information that a requester can not get from a book, maybe the individual has gone to the library and found there isn't a lot of information on the subject, not all libraries have the references readily available or they are out of date, cutbacks have hurt everyone. If you feel the requester has not complete enough research on the subject or that they should be doing all there own, it might help to refer them to the books that would provide the information they seek. Sometimes a person doesn't know where to start and therefore might turn to the server for assistance. As I do not know which of these requests you refer to, I can not say if the individual was asking for a short cut or not but I believe generally the person seeks insight and direction. Besides, you need not reply at all. We are the wealth of today's learning, pass it on so that it won't be lost. Just a thought, FM...................................... Is anyone else disturbed by what I see as a growing trend here? By this I mean the increasing number of "requests for information on..." that appear to be substitutes for going to the library. I am busy. To answer most/any of these questions would only take a few minutes, but would be a disservice to the individuals making the queries who need to learn how to use their library catalogs, current contents, and/or other library sources in order to do research. Now, if the query starts out "I have looked up ... and found only a couple of references...." I would be much more sympathetic. Does anyone else feel this way? Mary Ellin D'Agostino [log in to unmask]