Google Books: Shamed by snobs, a resource for the rest of us

Abstract

On my first day at the university library reference desk, four students requested The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities by Lawrence C. Ross Jr. The Divine Nine is suggested reading for pledges to African American fraternities and sororities at the University of North Texas (UNT). The UNT Libraries’ three copies were checked out and each copy had holds on their catalog records. During my first week at the reference desk, requests for The Divine Nine were at the top of the frequently asked questions list. This book chapter describes my experience helping students locate the title using Google Books.