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Yes, I maintain the shelflist. Yes, I do it for the "security," but primarily I keep it for the analog view of the collection it provides. It satisfies my need for visualizing the whole. A clock with a dial face serves as a metaphor for time as a cyclic experience, whereas a digital clock displays only one moment in time. The shelflist represents the encyclopedic nature of knowledge contained in my facility, while the digital display of the catalog represents only one "moment" of this knowledge. Though the digital record (if it has been faithfully replicated from the shelflist) might give me all the necessary information about the book, it cannot show me all the fingerprints, the handwriting of the librarian who ordered it, the crossouts of the multiple copies that were lost or withdrawn. This physical data is revealing about the history of the book itself as well as the history of the school, and its former scholarly needs. I don't know if I am expressing myself as acurately or as passionately as I am able. Nicholson Baker, who knows a thing or two about writing, was able to express his dismay at the demise of the of the card catalog in an essay written several years ago for the New Yorker. -- Sadie Longood, Librarian Dallas (OR) High School sadiel@viser.net http://www.open.org/~dallashs/LibPage.html =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-= All postings to LM_NET are protected under copyright law. To quit LM_NET (or set-reset NOMAIL or DIGEST), send email to: listserv@listserv.syr.edu In the message write EITHER: 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL or 3) SET LM_NET DIGEST 4) SET LM_NET MAIL * Please allow for confirmation from Listserv. For LM_NET Help see: http://ericir.syr.edu/lm_net/ Archives: http://askeric.org/Virtual/Listserv_Archives/LM_NET.html See also EL-Announce for announcements from library media vendors: http://www.mindspring.com/~el-announce/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=