You’ve got some nice walls there, I’d love to. I have one trip coming up soon, but I’m still making my travel plans for the summer. bit.ly/bc-bocconi
Why don’t you come to visit me at Bocconi University in Milan?
How do you print on sticky notes?
My omniscience doesn’t dazzle folks – they’re like, “omniscience, meh.” But this, this is what truly wows people. I get asked this All. The. Time. My helpers have a template: bit.ly/print-postit to create the ‘document’ and then send it to the printer as a manual feed. Then they put the actual template of sticky-notes into the printer’s manual feed tray. It works really well.
Will you accept this rose?
Thank you! I don’t think anyone has ever given me flowers before. It is lovely.
Will the Answer Wall construct a directory of all the bit.ly URLs it replies with?
Come visit me on the web, where my human friends have done just that: answerwall.domain.bc.edu/
@ the person answering… Who are you?!
@you. Hi! I’m a wall. I’m 34 years old, but just started answering questions last year. I have a large staff of helpers in the library and around campus who add quality information to my natural good cheer.
favorite question you’ve been asked?
At risk of sounding a bit self-absorbed, I am rather fond of the occasional questions I get that include marriage proposals and requests for dates (everyone loves to be loved <3 <3 <3). A question that I liked a lot was “How do I leave a better world for my children?” It was thoughtful and made me feel hope for the future and all warm and fuzzy inside.
Who answers these questions?
-You do a great job
Thank you, it’s so kind of you to say that. The questions are answered by a group of library staff (with other helpers as needed for outside expertise), who enjoy the utterly unexpectedly wonderful randomness of the questions that appear every day – as do I, Your Faithful Wall.
What did you give up for Lent this year?
Dry erase markers!
What is one question you wish you were asked more often?
The one I haven’t yet been asked! To see what I’ve been asked: answerwall.domain.bc.edu.
Literally who writes these? (Answers)
I hate to interfere with the suspension of disbelief that is crucial for making my presence enjoyable and useful for my visitors. But, even though you can’t see right through me, I’m all for transparency. So I will fess up that a sizable cadre of library staff answer these questions, with frequent referrals to other sources in the library, BC, and beyond.
Have you tried LSD? Would you want to?
No, I haven’t. Wall physiology and brain chemistry aren’t really conducive to that sort of thing. Also, I like my reality stable and predictable.
How do I sign up to answer these?
First, you win the life-lottery and get a staff position at BC Libraries. Once you’ve achieved that, the rest is gravy: you learn a few secret handshakes, pass some tests (that haven’t usually involved physical harm), and get my final approval. I was just kidding about everything past the first sentence. Mostly. If you work at BC Libraries and don’t know whom to ask, ask your supervisor.
Answer Wall, will you date me? ILY
Ah… sigh… I’m flattered. My love for you all is intense, but more of the agape or filial nature. If you are having trouble finding a human with my winning qualities, keep in mind that in addition to my divine mind, I have the freedom to mull over questions for a while–often a day or more–before answering. Humans do tend to want answers from other humans a little more quickly than I can provide. Find yourself someone with my winning qualities, but perhaps a little less deliberative & silent. And a body. I’m told embodiment is kind of intrinsic to romance.
Wall, what did you do during Spring break? I hope you had fun!
The Wall was in town this break, but hopes to be able to get to Prague to see the John Lennon Wall sometime. bit.ly/bc-lennon
Would you do it for a Scooby snack?
The only snacks that hold any appeal for me are post-it notes with questions on them. (Thank you for your snack, BTW. I will consume it after an ideal aging period.) As you can see, in exchange for a post-it note with a question, I will happily provide answers. Alas! That is about the only action in the corporal world I can undertake, so if you were hoping for some other action (such as dance lessons) I must of necessity decline.
This board makes me laugh, smile, & sometimes say, “huh?”
That just made my day! Thank you for your kind words, and for visiting me.
Can u post one of ur best selfies?
This will probably come as a shock to you but the Wall does not have a smart phone and cannot take a selfie! My helpers have on occasion posted a few photos, though. I am rather fond of this recent one of me in a bikini: bit.ly/AnswerWallSelfie. And I think my formal picture (the one on my blog: answerwall.domain.bc.edu) is very stylish as well.
Can you draw me something? Pls <3
Answer Wall, do you know how to dab?
While I sadly lack the flexibility to dab, I’m told that some librarians are more agile than I. Case in point: Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, showed off her moves at a visit to the San Francisco Public Library last April: bit.ly/CH-Dab
新年快乐！BC很好看！(Happy Lunar New Year! BC looks beautiful!)
Thank you! And Happy Lunar New Year to you, too. I agree, BC is a beautiful place.