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Monday, October 19, 2009

I Am NOT A Luddite

Late last week, we received a new book entitled The Librarian's Book of Quotes. As I was flipping through it, this particular passage caught my eye:


I mourn the loss of the old card catalogs, not because I'm a luddite, but because the oaken trays of yesteryear offered the researcher an element of random utility and felicitous surprise through encounters with adjacent cards, information by chance that is different in kind from the computer's ramified but rigid order.

Annie Proulx, "On the Road to Prose" (93).


I remember the card catalogs, and libraries, of my youth with great fondness. I found it soothing to read such thoughtful words; however, I think that libraries have come a long way. Are there any things that you miss regarding the way libraries were while you were growing up? Or do you think that we're experiencing some great paces forward in the library world?

Eckstrand, Tatyana. The Librarian's Book of Quotes. Chicago : American Library Association, 2009.

1 comment:

  1. I miss the card catalog, too, and I'm a cataloger! Part of it is nostalgia, but part is practicality. I'm wondering how sustainable our e-resources are, though I also recognize that printing thousands of cards is less than green ...

    ReplyDelete

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