The April 4 New Yorker has a very long article about recon
and the subsequent destruction of card catalogs. The author
views the destruction as short-sighted. He describes the
responsible library administrators as "villains".
He argues that much information about a book's provenance
and condition is not transferred to the OPAC. He adds that
subject indexes are richer in card catalogs, and that like
books are more conveniently grouped together in card
catalogs.
The author is no fuddy-duddy. He is Nicholson Baker, the
man who brought phone sex to the best seller list.
Francine Alfandary
Columbia Law School
francine@lawmail.law.columbia.edu
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