Shit, how do I spell my own name?
Well, I got to thinking, how does Google, and by extension the world, view libraries? Why is it important to look at Google's results from the "library" search term? Because Google's results are the popular results, the collection of human interest and knowledge. The results reflect what people think about a word by presenting the most popular choice. In essence, what the collective choose as the idea becomes the what the word means. Or the rich pay to be at the top. However cynical you choose to be. At least I did not use Yahoo.
The following is my totally non-scientific, non-bibliographic, and nearly non-pornographic findings about what happens when you type "library" into the search bar.
1. WebThe following is my totally non-scientific, non-bibliographic, and nearly non-pornographic findings about what happens when you type "library" into the search bar.
The first 10 findings under the web search are your basic hits. There are physical addresses for local libraries, internet addresses for Internet Public Library and publiclibraries.com as well as large library websites, such as the New York Public Library. Two things here bother me. First, no porn sites. There was a time when a Google search on "paper clips" would get you at least three hits on the porn site whitehouse.com.
The second is one of the highest hits on any Google search: Wikipedia. I will spend more time on Wikipedia later, but for now I will say it saddens me that one of the top three sites on a search about an information institution is an untrustworthy information site. That is... well, that is what whitehouse.com was to whitehouse.gov: a mockery of the institution.
2. Images
Google image search of "library" fills me with pride, sadness, and a little regret. Here's the first image I found:
I do not want to get to serious on this site, Banned Library takes no real stance on any subject. We make dick jokes about most library subjects, in fact. Looking at all these pictures, though, I am seeing the public perception of the library while I live in the crappy reality. Take a look at these pictures. Count how many computers you see. I saw about 5 images with computers within the first 5 pages. Out of around 125 images from across the Internet, most showed shelves and books and people reading to shelves and books. For the most part, these images were of stately manner libraries, with columns and shit. Look around your library and listen to your patrons. Hell, I am doing this whole thing about a Google search. Computers, ebooks, all that crap, are libraries now. These grand institutions have already given away to Internet cafes, yet the public at large seems to have an alternate image in their minds. And yes, I know people like pretty things and that there are gorgeous libraries out there. There are also 15,000 item collections in fucking mobile homes and the patrons still demand wifi access. But I digress.
3. Videos
Here's Mr. Bean in a library:
4. News
Google News search is actually a pretty good source of news. I have gotten several of the articles on this site from there. However, library news is often pretty boring and repetitive. No, I do not think the library director who stole all that money is interesting. If she worked in a bank it would not hit the library radar. The same goes for the book sales, hirings, firings and budget crisis. I am not saying that those are not worthwhile and meaningful topics, especially when taken in scope and context, but they make for boring news individually. Of course, right in the middle of writing this, I find the Mysterious Case of the Urine.
5. Shopping
Why include shopping? It tickles me. Check out this great deal on a book case!
3 Shelf Storage Shelves Cabinet Bookcase Bookshelf Bookshelves- Light Cherry Finish
History for that joke: whitehouse.com was once a porn site. whitehouse.gov has always been the real site.
2. Images
Google image search of "library" fills me with pride, sadness, and a little regret. Here's the first image I found:
I do not want to get to serious on this site, Banned Library takes no real stance on any subject. We make dick jokes about most library subjects, in fact. Looking at all these pictures, though, I am seeing the public perception of the library while I live in the crappy reality. Take a look at these pictures. Count how many computers you see. I saw about 5 images with computers within the first 5 pages. Out of around 125 images from across the Internet, most showed shelves and books and people reading to shelves and books. For the most part, these images were of stately manner libraries, with columns and shit. Look around your library and listen to your patrons. Hell, I am doing this whole thing about a Google search. Computers, ebooks, all that crap, are libraries now. These grand institutions have already given away to Internet cafes, yet the public at large seems to have an alternate image in their minds. And yes, I know people like pretty things and that there are gorgeous libraries out there. There are also 15,000 item collections in fucking mobile homes and the patrons still demand wifi access. But I digress.
3. Videos
Here's Mr. Bean in a library:
4. News
Google News search is actually a pretty good source of news. I have gotten several of the articles on this site from there. However, library news is often pretty boring and repetitive. No, I do not think the library director who stole all that money is interesting. If she worked in a bank it would not hit the library radar. The same goes for the book sales, hirings, firings and budget crisis. I am not saying that those are not worthwhile and meaningful topics, especially when taken in scope and context, but they make for boring news individually. Of course, right in the middle of writing this, I find the Mysterious Case of the Urine.
5. Shopping
Why include shopping? It tickles me. Check out this great deal on a book case!
3 Shelf Storage Shelves Cabinet Bookcase Bookshelf Bookshelves- Light Cherry Finish