Detail..... #2

Today's blip is all about detail. It is the catalog record for a very special postage stamp. My small computer screen didn't allow for me to photograph the entire record, but if you're so inclined, you can see it here. Uh-oh.... forgot that Worldcat times out after awhile, so you can't see the whole record - my goof..... I chose this record because it is one I created some years ago.

For several years I was a catalog librarian, which is an undertaking all about detail. Creating original catalog records for the international cataloging utility, WorldCat, wouldn't be everyone's idea of a fun job, but I found it to be fascinating. Librarians see the records in a slightly different format than the public does, but when you look at today's blip, please be aware that each line, every punctuation mark, the way the subject headings are chosen, and so much more, depends upon an intricate set of detailed rules.

The old-style catalog cards were equally detailed in their own way, but computers have upped the possibilities for pinpoint accuracy considerably.

Not perhaps the most exciting blip for you non-librarians, but the most pertinent example of detail I can think of.......