The director isn't going to help you, and the ilegible postcard

[depechemodefan]

Back in July some guy wrote to us asking for an article or/and an obituary for his brother.

I don't know who did the work, but we sent a standard letter back when we couldn't find the info:

Dear Mr. Patron,

Thank you for using Hxxxxxx Public Library’s eServices.

Unfortunately, no obituary was found for Name. This is not unusual. The policy of the Houston daily newspapers has always been that obituaries are paid announcements; therefore, many people's deaths are not announced in that form.

We are sorry we were unable to fulfill this request.
Best regards,
HP! eServices

Yesterday I get a letter. It contains the copy of the letter we sent to the patron, which had the date of July 16. As you see, it is signed "HP! eServices. Instead of addressing his new letter (written August 6) to HP! eServices, he address it to "Blah Blah Blah, Ph.D, Director. So I guess he thought we did a crap search (I think my cw should have typed in "obituary or article," instead of using the standard reply of "no obituary,") and decided to write to director, who will no doubt set it right. Of course, the director didn't read it, and no doubt her secretaries didn't read it, since they sent it straight to us, with no word on us to do a better search.

The other story is about a man who wrote on a 3x5 notecard a request to us. It's very ilegible. The funny part is he also wrote on the sides when he ran out of room on the bottom. The best we can guess is there are several questions about the Johnson Space Center. I guess I can just send him their address and tell him to write to them.

[Teskeria]

Postcard man may be an older person. Lot of older people learned to use the entire card/paper when writing during the World Wars, they would use the old fashioned method of filling the paper, then turning it sideways to continue.

[depechemodefan]

Postcard man may be an older person. Lot of older people learned to use the entire card/paper when writing during the World Wars, they would use the old fashioned method of filling the paper, then turning it sideways to continue.

I remember reading "Gone with the Wind," and how as the war went on, people had to reuse the letters they received by writing between the lines. That notecard reminded me about that.

[depechemodefan]

Update on the guy who wrote to the director (who probably didn't even see his letter):

I looked at his request from July 9, just to see if he did ask for us to look for an art. on his uncle's death in a card game. He asked for information on his death, so I guess an obit. won't have a detail about homicide. In fact, when I know a person was killed, the obit. will usaully say, "taken up to the Lord before his time" or something like that. I then noticed that the date of death he gave us on July 9 was Feb. 11. When he sent his complaint Aug. 6, he had a date of death as April 11. Great, now I have to look up in Ancestery the guys correct date of death.

So really, even if I looked for both and art. and obit for a date of death of Feb. 11, I woudln't have found anything. I wonder, though, if the guy noticed he sent the wrong date of death and instead of writing to us to say, "I made a mistake," maybe he decided to find something to blame us for.

[MoonCat]

Postcard man may be an older person. Lot of older people learned to use the entire card/paper when writing during the World Wars, they would use the old fashioned method of filling the paper, then turning it sideways to continue.

That could, possibly, explain the "letters" we get requesting free ads (we have a category for items $50 and under). They're written on postcards, sticky notes, assignment-book pages, note book pages, memo pad paper, and even torn-off corners or the backs of envelopes. At least they're recycling paper, sort of.

[PepperElf]

if the guy noticed he sent the wrong date of death and instead of writing to us to say, "I made a mistake," maybe he decided to find something to blame us for.

that's what i figured when i saw the new date of death
and that his brother is now his uncle

cos... it makes him look bad if he has to admit that he got the date of death wrong
as well as just who was dead.

[depechemodefan]

that's what i figured when i saw the new date of death
and that his brother is now his uncle

cos... it makes him look bad if he has to admit that he got the date of death wrong
as well as just who was dead.

Oh, my fault. The guy's letter said, "my father's brother...." I was too lazy to write that out. But yeah, I hate looking up multiple date of deaths, it's such a waste of time, and these people don't see that.