Photo by Peter Morville's Photostream
In 1850, the librarian of the American Antiquarian Society was asked to produce a new catalog for the society. "Men have become insane," the agitated librarian responded, "in their efforts to reduce these labors to a system; and several instances are recorded where life has been sacrificed in consequence of the mental and physical exertion required for the completion of a catalogue in accordance with the author's view of the proper method of executing such a task."
This quote made me laugh! I see that frustration in the efforts to categorize the library isn't new! Let's hope that computers and using MARC records make things a little easier!
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