Jan 8, 2009
{ bored at the info desk }
-ExcellentAfter reading another library blog:
http://www.swissarmylibrarian.net/2009/01/08/library-of-profanity, and being besides bored out of my mind, I did what any bored reference assistant with a computer below the age of thirty would do: I looked up dirty words in the library catalog.
Our library has 65 distinct entries with the word fuck in them. Interestingly, in some entries, such as “The Ice Opinion: who gives a fuck?” The word is blatantly in the title with no alteration or censorship. But, in the entry for the movie “Fuck,” the title is entered as F—k. Guess it depends on who was entering the cataloging information that day.
Typing the word “cunt” brought up an entry for “Inside the Hornets Head: an anthology of Jewish American Writing.” I’m still not sure why. I couldn’t find the word anywhere in the catalog entry.
Shit had no less than 93 distinct entries, my favorite being “Farfrompoopin: when shit doesn’t happen.” Although again, the word shit was censored in the main title, being entered as sh*t. But in the catalog entry itself shit is listed with its letters intact. Kind of lazy censorship, if it’s ok to view the word through clicking on the catalog entry, but not on the main title screen.
I get a perverse pleasure out of knowing that my library has more profanity in it than the Swiss Army Librarian’s does.
Labels: bored, cunt, cussing, fuck, library catalog, profanity, shit
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