What if . . . you awoke at 2 AM and were desperate to find out how to rid your house of ants without resorting to commercial pesticides?

What if . . . you wanted to find out when the first (full) night game was played at Wrigley Field in Chicago?

What if . . . you couldn't remember who wrote that novel about an Albanian criminal investigator?

Help is available 24/7 from a service called Info Anytime. Simply go to the homepage or this page and enter the service through an icon prominently displayed.

You will, in fact, be "chatting" with a reference librarian, also known as a "provider," who will greet you, search for an answer to your question, cite sources for you to search, and provide the answer to your question. The format will be familiar and comfortable to anyone in the habit of instant messaging.

Of course, you'll need internet access to take advantage of this service. And unlike the ever-popular "Googling" for an answer to your question, you will have the reassurance that comes from requesting information from a reference librarian and knowing the answer comes from a reputable site. You also won't be risking an onslaught of pop-up ads.

Info Anytime is made available thanks to the generosity of The Friends of The Canton Public Library. The service will be especially valuable outside of library hours, which are Monday-Thursday 10:00-8:00, Friday and Saturday 10:00-5:00 (starting with Saturday, September 9.)