NPR: “Before the Internet, How the LA Public Library Helped Readers Pick Their Next Novel”

From NPR:

Before the internet made book reviews widely accessible, where would curious minds go to find information about a new novel’s subject matter or a plot?

If you lived in the Los Angeles area, you could reference the Los Angeles Public Library’s index of fiction book review cards. The reviews, a collection of thousands of index cards, contain library staff members’ thoughts and opinions about new fiction releases that the library carried. The library system was used starting in the 1920s and into the 1980s.

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In a recent video posted to the library’s social accounts, [Robert] Anderson [an LAPL librarian] describes the review cards and walks viewers through their archive. Although the cards are readily available to the public, housed in large drawers near the Central Library reference desk, Anderson said that the video, which was posted on Friday, will introduce most people to the collection.

Learn More, Read the Complete Article (about 730 words)

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