E-Ref/asparagus

[SARA WEISSMAN/MORRIS CTY LIBRARY]

How to cook asparagus, found in under a minute: telnet://psupen.psu.edu
Login as state initials (ah! can you use this ex-US?) Alternative:
post to rec.cooking or see their FAQ at rtfm. PENPAGES is an excellent
food/agriculture/home economics resource that I learned about  some
years back from the wonderful! Ed Krol.//Uh, let's not get swept up
in the tyranny of turn-around time, eh? Fast and good are not always
the same thing ..my library is the regional reference center for 300
libraries in 7 counties in northwestern NJ (with 800 number) and
24 hrs is our maximum turn around...when patron institution is open
to receive answer (try calling a school at 5PM) etc comes into play
here too. If the point of e-ref is fast turn around time, you'll have
to staff for that...if the point is making experts available, well,
they are rare and it may take longer.//I've been answering reference
questions on AOL for nearly two years now...85% could be answered in
nearly any public library collection; 5% require a phone and local
authority (Health Dept, town manager's office, etc); 10% may be
"Internet answerable". Replies often include whatever electronic
information is available, plus the specific titles of sources patron
should inquire after at his/her local library!