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Psychological-Rub-72 t1_j4hdn45 wrote

"Went to the library and researched ducks for a week"

Ahh, life before the internet. Going to the library, looking in the card catalog, writing down the Dewey decimal system numbers, then going to the stacks to get the books (598.41*).

Good times, good times.

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FastWalkingShortGuy t1_j4hf534 wrote

In this case, it would be the Huey, Dewey, and Louie decimal system.

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DonutCola t1_j4ip2ha wrote

Huey Dewey Louie and the News

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letmesleep t1_j4j523y wrote

I've had "Huey Louie and the Booze" in my back pocket for the name of a ska band since like 2008. One of these days...

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Data444 t1_j4hm3ie wrote

if they have a award for the most wholesome joke on the internet. This would be a contender.

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RudeIBegYa t1_j4jyktj wrote

You’ve peaked. Unfortunately, it’s all downhill from here, but on the bright side you chose a hell of a joke to end on

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NotAPimecone t1_j4hq0e8 wrote

> DON'T YOU KNOW THE DEWEY DECIMAL SYSTEM?!

  • Conan the Librarian
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Bitter_Mongoose t1_j4j2jmg wrote

> I AM HERE TO FEEL THE LAMINATION OF YOUR INDEX CARDS

-Conan the Librarian

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JustAPerspective t1_j4igq7x wrote

"A week gong to the library" was half an hour en route, an hour or two there, and half an hour back, plus notes that would hand-written (nobody was hauling a typewriter that far) and "photocopier" was not a publicly available thing.

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OSCgal t1_j4isb1g wrote

Handwritten notes would be easiest, but portable typewriters did exist. And libraries could have typewriters available.

I am slightly too young to remember what kind of copy technology my library had in the mid-1980s, but commercial copiers were introduced in 1959, so it's entirely possible that libraries has them.

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creggieb t1_j4j7fzq wrote

In the early 90s my library had coin-op photocopiers.

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-tiberius t1_j4kezf4 wrote

A hand-carried typewriter is the kinda thing Al would own.

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JustAPerspective t1_j4jhub0 wrote

>Handwritten notes would be easiest, but portable typewriters did exist. And libraries could have typewriters available.

Those "portable" typewriters - you might want to look up the weight & size. Then remember that "wheels on the case" wasn't a thing yet, and imagine lugging that to a public building. Also the replacement ink, erasing cartridge (if applicable) and if it's electric you're gonna need to plug it in.

Notes were easier - we were there.

>I am slightly too young to remember what kind of copy technology my library had in the mid-1980s, but commercial copiers were introduced in 1959, so it's entirely possible that libraries has them.

Largely, they did not until the 90s.

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shhhhquiet t1_j4k04be wrote

Coin op copiers were a thing in the 80s and any library with a collection big enough to support a week of in-person research just on ducks probably had one. It would have been a high priority in fact. I remember using them in my not-terribly-large public library in the late 80s.

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JustAPerspective t1_j4kftb0 wrote

Entirely possible - our experiences weren't universal, & our recollection could readily be wrong.

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PlainTrain t1_j4jqoho wrote

Nonsense. Canon was advertising personal photocopiers in 1985.

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JustAPerspective t1_j4jsa46 wrote

Common sense would realize that public libraries didn't often have funding for expensive equipment in most neighborhoods, especially new stuff that was delicate and required a lot of maintenance.

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PlainTrain t1_j4ju2ow wrote

You really should just quit because you have no idea what you are talking about. Photocopiers were extremely common in the mid ‘80s. My small rural high school had two in 1985: one in the office, one in the library.

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VeryJoyfulHeart59 t1_j4mef88 wrote

I don't doubt that Weird Al made handwritten notes.

Although portable typewriters were definitely a thing in 1985, they were loud. (Libraries were still a shhhhh zone back then.) Plus people didn't really take notes on a typewriter. Typewriters were generally used once you had all your notes and were ready to type your final document (or at least a first draft).

Photocopiers were definitely available in Southern California libraries (where Weird Al grew most likely resides). I know that my library had one in 1967. However, they were fairly expensive to use.

Besides, given the lyrics, I don't think he was taking down massive amounts of duck details.

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Blutarg t1_j4n0pxb wrote

On the other hand, your research wasn't constantly being interrupted by asinine pop-up ads.

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