Hexagons have six sides
Okay, another question from library land. Up on Level 3 we don’t get many children, but there are some. And kids ask more questions than anyone. Yesterday the question was: “I’m looking for a book with shapes in it. I want to know how many sides does a hexagon have?”
One part of the job is not just spouting off an answer, even if we know it. You’re supposed to cite sources and be authoritative. So I said “A hexagon has six sides, let me show you.”
Then we found a geometry book and verified it. It was the same book I used for someone else who wanted to know how many sides does a pentagon have? He was not more appreciative for having seen the book, but it’s one of those habits I picked up in library school that I can’t shake.
I also tried to get him to let me look up the Greek background of the shape for him, but he could not have been less interested.
