WASHINGTON - It is said that there is nothing which you cannot find in a good library; with these words in mind, George Washington University librarian Judith Alton recently turned some heads when she announced that she would be beginning a search for the oldest trick in the book.

“It’s a question I’ve been turning over in my mind for several years now and I believe that people deserve an answer to it,” a determined Alton told reporters from the GW Ax yesterday. “I’ve already started reading over the literature and the list of possibilities is getting smaller every minute.”

Alton went on to explain that she had already crossed a handful of classics off the list, including a bucket of water above the door, a quarter glued to the ground, and even leaving a banana peel out for someone to slip on. All of these decisions came after many late hours of intense study and hypothesizing.

“Right now I’m chasing a few promising leads, but there’s nothing too solid to go on just yet,” Alton explained. “But having done my homework, I’d be willing to bet that the grandaddy of ‘em all was a fart joke of some type.”

While many scholars agree that any third grader could have probably arrived at that theory, this has not deterred Alton from digging as deep as she can and getting the facts.

Her work has attracted attention from both the History and Theater Departments of the George Washington University. This morning, the two departments released a joint statement of support for the research and a vow to support the work by donating the time of several graduate students to her endeavour for knowledge.

Alton will board a plane to Egypt Wednesday in the hopes of analysing a recently unearthed 6,000 year old fart-in-a-jar.