Went back to my old library and the card catalog room is now a computer lab

I stopped by the public library downtown yesterday where my book club used to meet in the 90s, and the whole back room where we had our debates is now just rows of dinky monitors. The smell of old paper is gone, replaced by that stale electronics air. Does anyone else miss the feel of actually thumbing through a physical book before picking it for discussion?

2 comments

2 Comments

hayes.jake14d ago

Even fast food places got rid of those big menu boards for digital screens that never work right.

terryf6214d ago

Oh man, that hits close to home. My old branch had a whole children's section with those little wooden chairs and the card catalog was right by the entrance. Now it's a self-checkout kiosk and a QR code for the app. It's not just the smell either, it's the whole experience of flipping through those worn out little cards and seeing who checked out what before you. Your mileage may vary, but I really think we lost something when they took those physical catalogs out.