Monday, July 23, 2007

Serendipity, Or, When Search Engines Work Strangely

I'm sure you've had the experience of typing in a search in your library's catalog and getting back a strange result ---- where you search every part of the entry and can't for the life of you figure out how the program pulled up this title. I just did this and found an interesting book that has none of my search terms anywhere in it, and has absolutely nothing to do with my Project 2, but I must get it out of the library all the same, because of this chapter title:


"Matthew Arnold Meets Godzilla."




(PS the book is Trash Culture: Popular Culture and the Great Tradition, and I know, I know, I should be doing my work or reading actual things related to my projects or just get off the damn internet 'cause it's not 5 yet and I should be working, but really, who can resist the title?)

(PPS if it has pictures I will surely post them.)

Update: Alas, alas, the book was not on the shelves, nor anywhere near the shelves it should be, even though it said it was checked in. If this was for my diss work I would hunt it down in all the ways I know how, but I already feel guilty for doing this much procrastinating. Considering the title I have my suspicions of who might have it stashed in a grad carrel, but how can I really email the grad listserv after posting about it on my blog?

(PS maybe I should make myself feel guilty on the way home more often --- I put in another half hour or so going through my old notes and pulling more material for Project 2.)

No comments: