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DAE try asking Google vs asking a real person at the library?

I needed info on local zoning laws for a shed and spent 45 minutes digging through confusing PDFs from the city website. Then I just called the main library in Toledo and the reference desk lady found everything in under 5 minutes. She even printed the right pages for free. When has asking a person totally beat an online search for you?
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the_thomas
the_thomas1mo ago
Yeah, those zoning PDFs are the worst... a buddy of mine was trying to figure out if he could build a fence on his property line. He spent a whole evening going in circles on the county GIS map site, getting more lost. Finally he just drove to the town hall and the clerk at the counter pulled out a big paper map, pointed right to his lot, and showed him the exact setback rules in two minutes flat. Sometimes you just need a person who knows where to look.
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violatorres
Totally get that about zoning PDFs being a nightmare. I had the same thing happen trying to find the rules for a backyard chicken coop. The county website was a maze of broken links, but one call to the planning department and a real person walked me through the exact ordinance line by line.
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finleyw99
finleyw991mo ago
Ever try to find old family photos online? The library's local history section had boxes of stuff not digitized anywhere. Librarian knew exactly which donor collection to check.
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