Friday Afternoon Riddle, But No Arrow

I found the above riddle while perusing the stacks yesterday. Who wants to take a guess? The riddle was supposedly “[s]hot on the point of an arrow, from General Washington’s army into Cornwallis’s tent, the night before [a] decisive battle.”

Image from: As great a man as Nelson! … : the life of the most noble the Marquis Cornwallis, that great man to his country! : who has been engaged in the service of it ever since the year 1776, up to 1805, in the American and Indian war … to which is added, the riddle shot from the camp, with an explanation. London : Printed by Ann Kemmish … for, and sold by J. Ker … also sold by T. Hughes … N. & J. Muggeridge … Wilmott and Hill … Kemmish … Barfoot … Perks … S. Elliot … A. Neil … Dixon … T. Evans … &c &c., [1806]. VCC970.3 C82L

NY Times finds North Carolina a truffling place

Hat tip to New York Times reporter and author Kim Severson for snatching from beneath the very noses of North Carolina’s MSM — not to mention its free-range bloggers and tweeters — this lively front page account of the spittin’ and litigatin’ match between rival truffle promoters Susan Rice Alexander of Southern Pines and Franklin Garland of Hillsborough.

Severson is the latest in a long line of Times reporters working out of Atlanta, including such stalwarts as future N&O editor Claude Sitton (who started the bureau in 1958), Roy Reed, B. Drummond Ayres Jr. and Peter Applebome.

Today’s “A tasty fungus…” followed Tuesday’s less appetizing “Edwards lies low….”

Wilson Library Reading Room Changes and Closures

UNC’s Wilson Special Collections Library is undergoing changes that will affect the rooms in which material from the various collections are used and procedures for accessing the items. See below for more details.

Friday, March 4th, 2011: The 4th floor Reading Room (formerly where Southern Folklife Collection, Southern Historical Collection, and University Archives items were accessed) will close permanently as a Special Collections reading room; it will be opened again on Monday, March 14th, 2011 as a Special Collections classroom.

Saturday and Sunday, March 5th-6th, 2011
Monday, March 7th, 2011, through Thursday, March 10th, 2011
Saturday and Sunday, March 12th-13th, 2011:
All researchers will use the 2nd floor Special Collections Reading Room for access to materials in the North Carolina Collection, Rare Book Collection, Southern Folklife Collection, Southern Historical Collection, and University Archives.

Friday, March 11th, 2011: The Special Collections Reading Room will be closed for the day and there will be no access to Special Collections materials for this one day only.

Changes in Special Collections (2nd floor) Reading Room Policies:
As part of our efforts to provide more effective, centralized reference and research services for faculty, students, and other visitors seeking to use UNC Chapel Hill’s rich special collections and digital resources, we have implemented the following policies for the use of the Special Collections Reading Room:

• Access to the 2nd floor Reading Room will be limited to those seeking reference assistance with or using material from UNC Chapel Hill’s special collections and digital resources.
• The Grand Reading Room on the 3rd floor will continue to be available during the academic term for those seeking a quiet place to study.
• All visitors to the Reading Room must fill out a one-time registration form and present valid photo identification.
• Laptops, silenced cell phones, and digital cameras may be brought into the Reading Room; all other personal items, including cases for the above, must be secured in a locker at the Reading Room entrance.
• Paper and pencils are provided in the Reading Room for note taking if needed.
• Other personal research materials may be brought in, if relevant to the work you are doing in the Reading Room, pending consultation with a staff member.
• Circulating North Carolina Collection books and pamphlets may be borrowed by those with valid UNC Chapel Hill borrowing privileges at the service counter without registering and entering the Reading Room area.
• Paging slips are required to access all special collections materials except the reference items housed in the Reading Room.
• The closely monitored area at the far end of the Reading Room is reserved for the use of collection materials requiring staff supervision.

Access to all collections and staff will not be affected during this transition. Please ask any Special Collections staff member if you have questions or concerns, or e-mail Bill Landis, Head of Special Collections Research & Instructional Services, at blandis@unc.edu.