Tag Archives: print resources

William Frederick Poole: pioneering indexer and librarian

Reading, Writing, Research Posted on by  

These days, municipalities all over the US have tax-supported public libraries. Public libraries, academic libraries, and others offer patrons indexes to help them find articles in periodicals. We have William Frederick Poole to thank for both. He first became famous for the first index to periodicals and later became a founding member of the American Library Association. For most of his career as a librarian, he advocated for public libraries.

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What is the condition of US public libraries?

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I recently received an important report on the state of libraries from WordsRated. WordsRated is a non-commercial, international research data and analytics group that studies reading, books, authors, and the publishing industry. The report examines library trends in the US over the past three decades. Although it doesn’t say so explicitly, it specifically concerns public libraries. Here is a summary of its findings:

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Cancel the funeral for printed books

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When ebooks first became popular, and especially after sales of ebooks passed sales of printed books, it looked like print was doomed to extinction. Now the demise of print looks highly unlikely. Speaking for myself, I spend hours each day looking at a computer screen. When it comes time to read for pleasure, print offers a welcome break. Other factors may also influence the vigor of sales of printed books: Reading from a screen makes our eyes work harder, although e-readers cause less eyestrain than computers or phones. People have long enjoyed sharing books, something difficult to do with an e-reader. Rows of books on shelves make attractive room décor.

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Reference books and sets you must read in print

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In my last post, about editing, I cited my father’s entry in Contemporary Authors, a still-growing set with more than 200 printed volumes. I couldn’t find the photocopy I made several years ago when I first stumbled across it. I found an online version in WorldCat, but it’s available only at 8 libraries, none within 500 miles of my home. I had to go to a local library to consult the print version. How many other important reference works are available only in print?

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Something old and something new in a recent research project

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I concede: Real research can be done using only web sources. Just not much. Since this month is Earth Month, I want to look back at the first Earth Day in 1970 for one of my other blogs. Can I find enough information on the web to write something about it? Sure. And I’d produce a post every bit as disappointing as an online article I wrote about last fall, which appears to have started out as an undergraduate honors paper. So I had to use some very old research methods. Along the way, I found a new piece of technology.

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