Information before the Information Age

We live in an age undreamed of, where anything we could want to know can be found with a simple expenditure of effort. Whether you forgot who the eighth president of the United States was or when the Magna Carta was signed, you can quickly and easily discover it. Saunter over to your computer or your smartphone and all is made well again with a few keystrokes. This is the world we live in, but it isn't the world people have always lived in.

Answering questions for us is easy. The further back along our timeline we go, however, the harder it becomes. What did we do before wikipedia? Well, you could go to a library and search for a relevant book on the subject. But what if your question is obscure or not simply phrased? You'll have to look for a little longer, perhaps doing some real research by skimming one book and using its footnotes to find another.

But what if the library isn't organized by the Dewey Decimal System? You will definitely need the help of a librarian and a master index that describes the organizational system of all the books. And what if the books don't contain footnotes? Now you're really getting into hazardous territory. You'll probably have to use the librarian as a living resource, relying on their knowledge of the contents of their library because they've read most of those books.