So I needed a cite for an article I had published back in the day, because it would be a relevant addition to the resume for a job app I wanted to submit.
(If you’re interested, it’s David Talley, “Lost in the Computer,” Colorado Libraries 19, no. 3 [Fall 1993], p. 8. A librarian friend heard me rant about the crap online search tools at the local public library, and she happened to be guest editor for an edition of that journal devoted to exactly that topic. She asked if I’d like to publish my rant, and you know me. To save you some hunting, what I was basically calling for was Google. So that part has worked out pretty much OK.)
But back to this afternoon, when I wanted to hunt up the cite. Google got me to a pay archive site, but no login, no access. The Denver Public Library site has this Databases A-Z function, though. Cool, except every link on the page generates a 404 not found error. Every one. But the DPL site also has a chat function called Ask a Librarian. After a wait, a keyboard-challenged person named Chris reported that the journal wasn’t indexed in either of their two periodical databases, but that the physcial copy was in their Western History collection. No, really. The Western History collection. Chris gave me a phone number, which I called. Walter Rose (iirc his name) said he’d go look at the 1992 issues — since that’s the year I gave him — and call back, which he did. Nope, no article in any of the four 1992 issues. After a couple more minutes fumbling with the old paper, he found it in the Fall 93 issue and gave me the cite.
So that’s how far 15 years of feverish development of online information search resources got me. To hell with computers. Thanks Chris & Walter.
And yes, I have a copy at home here someplace that I could have consulted, but I needed to get the thing submitted. Quit caviling and work with me here.
Originally published on arttartare.net