What was life like before Google? Original 'search engine' New York Public Library shows us

While Google is now the default research engine for most of us, be it students or adults working in an office, we all know there was a time before Google and the Internet became ubiquitous. So what did people do when they wanted an answer to a question? For most people, public libraries were the answers. If you don’t know what a public library is or have never seen the insides of one, it’s likely you’re a post-90’s child. Recently the New York Public Library has started running an campaign on social media where it is releasing the kind questions that librarians were asked before Google became the default destination for every question that was on your mind. The hashtag they’ve gone with is #Letmelibrarianthatforyou, a cute a pun on the oft-used phrase “Let me Google that for you”. As this report in the Guardian points out, the questions ranged from the “the practical (“A Swiss manufacturer of baby carriages wanted to know whether the NYPL didn’t have a list of expectant mothers” – 1 January 1949), … to the disturbing (“What is the nutritional value of human flesh?” – 6 June 1958)”. Other questions on the list according to the report were: “Why did 18th-century English paintings have so many squirrels in them and how did they train them so that they wouldn’t bite the painter?,” What kind of apple Eve ate and “Is there a full moon every night in Acapulco?” According to this post on Hyperallegeric other questions included if the public library had a computer for the use of the public way back in 1966, how to put up wall paper and where exactly to put the paste that came with it. The post also shows how one caller on the phone asked a variety of questions all within five minutes. The questions ranged from the name of Napoleon’s Horse to a wig maker’s name in Miami to a book on spontaneous human combustion. Check out pictures of some of the notes: The list of expectant mothers: [caption id=“attachment_2055131” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Image: NYPL Instagram page.[/caption] On party etiquette and who should kiss whom first and for how long [caption id=“attachment_2055133” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Image from NYPL Instagram account.[/caption] Pray exactly when does the bluebird sing (because the user wanted to write a lyrics based on the song) [caption id=“attachment_2055135” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Image from New York Public Library account[/caption] On gestation periods [caption id=“attachment_2055137” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Image from New York Public Library Instagram account[/caption] On angry elephants in dreams [caption id=“attachment_2055143” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Image: New York Public Library social media account.[/caption] On whether pine needles work [caption id=“attachment_2055163” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Image from New York Public Library[/caption] And finally the concerned citizen on whether the gun that killed Kennedy was returned to the rightful owner [caption id=“attachment_2055167” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Image from New York Public Library.[/caption] Based on the questions, it’s safe to say that librarians all over the world are a happier lot since they don’t have to put up with random and bizarre questions anymore.