Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!pyramid!hplabs!hplabsz!taylor
From: DANTE@EDWARDS-2060.ARPA (Mike Dante)
Newsgroups: comp.society
Subject: Re: Electronic Card Catalogs
Message-ID: <1847@hplabsz.HPL.HP.COM>
Date: 6 Apr 88 22:56:35 GMT
Sender: taylor@hplabsz.HPL.HP.COM
Lines: 34
Approved: taylor@hplabs

In reference to what Jim Day says:

My confusion.  I hadn't realized that there is both a LA County Library
and a LA Public Library.  I live in Lancaster (the high desert) so I
don't ever get "down below" to visit libraries on the other side of the
mountains.  But even without looking, I am sure you are correct and we
are in the LA County Library system.  I only have a vague notion of what
is in our system - a bunch of libraries down below, I guess.

As far as I can recall we still kept the physical card catalogs during
the microfilm era, which would explain why I have no memory of a queue
at that time.

I really like your idea of dial-up ports.  The statistics on their use
would be very interesting.  I believe they would be quite useful.

Apropos the discussion on computer literacy, dial-up ports would be
restricted to the already literate while the terminals in the library
are used by many who have no other contact with computers.  I take this
system as evidence in support of the view expressed in the discussion
that within a generation the question of computer literacy will be a
non-question.  Humans are amazingly flexible and soon take for granted
almost anything we are confronted with.  Just consider the differences
between what was normal just a hundred years ago compared to now.  I
suspect that there were people then discussing the gap that was sure to
develop between those mechnically adept who could become machine
literate and those who were doomed to a second class existence
restricted to horse powered transportation.  I predict that it won't be
too long before the computer guru will have a similar position in
society that an auto mechanic or TV repairman does today.  The ordinary
person will use computers with as much nonchalance as he uses a walkman
today.  And as little comprehension of how it works and as little
interest in finding out.

Mike