Selectively mute?

More proof that librarians are not even worth the breath required to speak.

A youngish, short man in dark t-shirt and underwear-bearing slouchy shorts approached the desk. He was wearing huge dark sunglasses and had headphones around his neck playing loudly enough that I could hear the music quite clearly (you may be imagining bad R&B, and you would be correct).

The man ignored my greeting, took a piece of scratch paper, scribbled on it, then handed it to me. It said "cufflinks."

"Did you lose some cufflinks?" I asked.

(silence and staring ahead through dark glasses)

"Okay, let me see if any have been turned in. Nope, no cuff links."

(picks up paper and points at computer screen)

"Oh, you need a book about cuff links?"

(slight nod of head)

"Okay, let me see what I can find." I type "cufflinks" into the catalog, and only get one jewelry appraising book. "Was this the sort of thing you were looking for?"

(exasperated shake of head)

"Well, that's all that's coming up for me."

"That's funny, because I saw a book on cuff links here last week," the man says in perfect English.

"Oh, well, maybe it's two separate words, then?" I say and search. Sure enough, there are a couple books on the elusive cuff links (two separate words).

I write down the call number and direct him to the third floor, "where all the other books on fashion are!" I say (hopefully loudly enough to be audible by several other library patrons).