The Card Catalog

OK, I wasn't going to do this. I wasn't going to post my school papers. I mean how boring is that (and it feels like cheating too). But my very first paper assignment in English 102 College Writing and Research is, "In at least 250 words tell how you did library-based research in high school/previously". Well, I figure this lends its self to my blog intention so I'm going to break the rule now...and when ever else I want to break it.

So here is Susan's very first college paper in 36 years. Prepare to be wowed. And I'm kinda liking the font. Very card catalogish. (and if you weren't there, you're not going to get it)



The last library-based research I did was when I was in high school thirty six years ago.  To say that things have changed since then would be an understatement.  For example, no one had heard of computers in those days.  I don’t have a clear recollection of the research process but I do remember coming up with an idea for a paper and then taking that idea to the library.  There I would browse through the card catalog with a paper that had been cut into small squares and a short #2 pencil to be used to write down the information found on the book or periodical:  author, title, subject and the shelf number.  Next I would search for that particular book on the indicated shelf and hope that no one else would have already checked it out because in that case there was nothing to do except to wait until the book had been returned.  Too often the case, the return date of the checked out book was after the date that my paper was due.  The other resource I remember was the ever efficient and helpful librarian.  I would expect that they are still there and more prepared than ever to assist those doing research.  That’s just the kind of folks they are.  (I know because my mother was a librarian)  I assume that modern day research revolves around the internet.  I have done plenty of personal searching on the internet looking for information on various topics of interest.  But I would suspect there is more to it than that when writing a research paper.  It is all a bit of a mystery to me at the moment but one I look forward to solving.