A reference bomb is:
a) providing an answer to questions people didn’t know they were asking.
b) it’s like a photobomb with information. But less about ruining photos and more about fun knowledge sharing.
Example: You’re at a dinner party and people are chatting about coffee. You add to the conversation with a quiver of facts about coffee, an anecdote about the first European to get into the coffee business, and a further reading suggestion. Bam, that conversation has been reference bombed.
It’s not about showing off or one-up-man’s-ship. It’s fun. It happens all the time (at least to me) as a feature of open and free moving conversation.
Besides, Librarians can be reference machines. Why turn off that tap? Sharing information is probably the best thing Librarians do.
Want to share a reference bomb? Email me! info[at]dropthereferencebomb.com