Using the card catalogue

I remember learning the Dewey Decimal System in junior high so we could find books on our own in the library. At university, it was the only way to find a book without disturbing the librarian. The decimal number classification introduced the concepts of relative location and relative index. Libraries previously had given books permanent shelf locations that were related to the order of acquisition rather than the topic. The classification's notation makes use of three-digit numbers for main classes, with fractional decimals allowing expansion for further detail. Numbers are flexible to the degree that they can be expanded in a linear fashion to cover special aspects of general subjects. A library assigns a classification number that unambiguously locates a particular volume in a position relative to other books in the library, on the basis of its subject. The number makes it possible to find any book and to return it to its proper place on the library shelves. The classification system is used in 200,000 libraries in at least 135 countries

In 2015, the Smithsonian reported that the Online Computer Library Center had discontinued providing the printed cards for those drawers that once lined the walls of most libraries.

The card catalogue had been the staple method for organizing a library’s inventory for more than a century. Now, if you see them, chances are it’s in a reference or historical archive department.

There was just no need to keep them around once online drives could store and organize a library’s collection in a much more efficient and automated way.

Earlier librarians would have to write down long strings of numbers on scraps of paper to find their way to the book they were looking for via the Dewey Decimal System.

This is where that clear, concise handwriting would have come in handy.  As well, the internet, and the proliferation of computers to help people look up the book they want, mean certain death for those little card-filled drawers. I am not sure it is a loss.

Celebration of life

Recently I went to a celebration of life for a family member, and as I listened to the speakers talk about the deceased, I noticed a theme. The theme was the importance of the relationship each speaker held with the deceased. 

Family members talked of her love and support, friends talked of her support. One person talked about a time in his life when he was going through a very hard time and the fact that the deceased was the only one that had faith in him and supported him.

As I talked to my nephew. after the speakers had finished, he talked about the stress of balancing family life and work. I was impressed that he was committed to putting more time into family than into work. 

I talked about the generational gap, his father and I belong to a generation that allowed work to define who we were/are. 

His generation has moved away from this position, which is a good thing. I am not sure if my generation were as bad as our parents for allowing work to mold, shape and identify the way we saw ourselves, but many of us still see ourselves as our job title.

At the celebration of life, no one talked about the work of the deceased, except to mention the how well she treated everyone at work, and how she stood up for the ones who could not stand up for themselves.

At the end of the day, it is our relationships, not our work that define how and by whom we are remembered. Make the relationships you have work for others in a positive manner.

Framing is important

Two stories about the same subject, caught my atttention both were published on the same day. The first story came from Bloomberg.com and I think it was aimed at investors. The story started as follows:


Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, Canada’s third-biggest retirement-fund manager, posted an 11 percent return on investments in 2011, led by fixed income, private capital and infrastructure assets.


Performance was especially impressive given the market volatility and economic uncertainty that accompanied the Eurozone debt situation, and was compounded by last year’s natural disasters,” Chief Executive Officer Jim Leech said in the statement.


Ontario Teachers’ results beat the 0.5 percent return of Canadian pension funds last year, as estimated in a Jan. 23 report by RBC Dexia Investor Services Ltd.


In comparison, Canada’s biggest pension-fund manager, Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec, on Feb. 23 reported an annual return on investments of 4 percent. Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System, a Toronto-based pension fund manager, said Feb. 24 it had a 3.2 percent return last year.


Near the end of the report Bloomberg said the following about the shortfall:


Canada’s benchmark S&P/TSX Composite Index fell 11 percent and the MSCI World Index declined 7.6 percent in 2011.


Ontario Teachers’ estimated funding shortfall narrowed to C$9.6 billion, from C$17.2 billion a year earlier, as persistent low real interest rates and changing demographic trends affect the plan.
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The second story on the same subject, was from the Globe and Mail. This story aimed at the general public, started as follows:


The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan had a $9.6-billion funding shortfall at the start of this year, despite recent contribution increases, benefit cuts, and solid investment returns.


The funding gap is symbolic of struggles across the pension sector, as plans grapple with low interest rates and lacklustre markets at the same time as the baby boomers hit retirement.


But Teachers’ announcement comes a week after Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan made it clear that the province’s appetite for helping pensions climb out from under their shortfalls has decreased. He signalled that gaps will increasingly have to be addressed by contribution cuts as opposed to any aid from taxpayers.


Near the end of the article the Globe reported:


Mr. Leech emphasized to reporters in a press conference Tuesday morning that the plan is still funded to the tune of 94 per cent.


“This is not a crisis,” he said. “This is our tenth year that we have faced a preliminary deficit.”
The plan’s sponsors – the Ontario Teachers’ Federation and the provincial government – are required to bring the plan into balance every few years. They did so this past year, solving a deficit of more than $17-billion, and are not required to do so again until 2014. However, the government has signalled that it would like to tackle this year.


Which of the two stories would make the average person more nervous? 


The conservatives and their supporters love to spread fear and make people feel anxious, so they can provide a solution. It is never a good idea to settle for one source when reading the mainstream media, always when possible find another source.