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I'm not gonna call myself a pack rat but yeah, sometimes I hold onto things that maybe I no longer need to hold onto. I'm sure many out there know that all it takes is gettin' burned just once because you misplaced (or, gasp, "accidentally" threw out) a receipt or a bill or didn't write down some confirmation number. You're supposed to write down details, as many as you can. When you called, the name of the CSR you spoke with (or their operator number), an authorization code/number, where the crime took place, etc. It's actually pretty annoying but in the end the burden of proof is on you. Look out for number one! Create that paper trail!

So, let's tie this into an article written circa 1994 about the early days of online library catalogs. The dilemma faced by many libraries was what to do with the old and clunky card catalog. For some, it wasn't much of a dilemma at all. "Chuck it!" "Trash it!" "Burn it!" It even became a cause for celebration. It was Extreme Makeover: Library Edition. It was pure card catalog carnage. Had I been in that situation almost 20 years ago I probably would've been fighting to keep the physical card catalog. I'm comfortable with all the computer technology we have now but I sure as heck don't trust it. There are too many things that can go wrong and Murphy's Law never goes out of style. Imagine the reputation computers may have had then. That probably would've been my big thing. Gonna get burned with no fallback. The reliability of the technology may have been an issue but imagine the amount of time and effort that went into creating and maintaining those cards. I'm sure many people who spent many hours on the catalog hated to see their work trashed. And having to celebrate it! These people had personally customized numerous cards, adding valuable information to assist library users in their search for particular resources. This information helped link related materials within the collection. Related materials could often be separated and difficult to find due to different spellings of an author's name or to being a different edition. This is the type of knowledge that should be passed on and included in the electronic online catalog. And maybe some of it was. But what happens if the electronics fail or become corrupted and you've already trashed the physical card catalog? I'm keeping receipts and statements from 5+ years ago in a shoe box in my closet because I'm freaked out that if or when something goes wrong (as it inevitably will) the electronic record that's supposed to be there isn't going to be. I know that I have to have a paper copy for practically everything.
In my LIS 5023 class this past summer we talked about how all of our electronic documents are supposed to cut our usage of paper when, in fact, it really isn't. Our paper usage is probably the same or even increasing. Our access to materials has increased exponentially and we're bound to see more that we like. For example, I have hundreds of pages of class-related articles laying on my floor. I don't read them first. I just click 'PRINT'. And then I read them. And after that, who knows? I probably won't throw the articles out because, in my mind, I think they may come in handy sometime in the future. I know that my professors have placed a value on these and picked them as part of my education. So... Yes, I'm saying that our professors have too much access to educational resources and are swamping us! Thankfully, they provide links.