Re: At Univ. of South Carolina, the Card Catalog's Graceful Departure

Bernie

It's broader than that, isn't it? Database users in HR, Finance, etc.
still use the "record" (read "card") metaphor to think about data in the
system.  
More often than not, a "record" is an ethereal thing existing long
enough for display 
or report generation. Maybe "exist" is the wrong word for it.
It's too hard to keep or transmit a mental picture of it though,
or have an efficient discussion about day-to-day transactions without
it.


regards

Mark

========================================
Mark Huppert
Library Systems and Web Coordinator
Division of Information
R.G. Menzies Building (#2)
The Australian National University
ACTON ACT 0200

T: +61 02 6125 2752 
F: +61 02 6125 4063
W: http://anulib.anu.edu.au/about/

CRICOS Provider #00120C
========================================

-----Original Message-----
From: Next generation catalogs for libraries
[mailto:NGC4LIB_at_LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of B.G. Sloan
Sent: Friday, 30 October 2009 7:17 AM
To: NGC4LIB_at_LISTSERV.ND.EDU
Subject: [NGC4LIB] At Univ. of South Carolina, the Card Catalog's
Graceful Departure

"At Univ. of South Carolina, the Card Catalog's Graceful Departure",
Library Journal, October 29, 2009.
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6704296.html

I'm not exactly sure about this snippet:

"One section of the card catalog will remain in TCL as an artifact.
Birchfield noted that librarians who teach LIBR 100, a one-credit
information literacy course, usually pull a card catalog drawer to show
students some of the organizing principles."

Imagine you're a student in LIBR 100, and a librarian pulls out a paper
file that hasn't been updated since 1991 to teach you how to use a
computer system. :-)

I think it speaks volumes for how today's online catalogs are still tied
to the old paper catalog model.

Bernie Sloan