Mar 28, 2011

ABC easy as 1 2 3...

How hard is it to alphabetize? Seriously.  We all learned the alphabet when we were little.  And if on the offchance you don't have the capability to put things into alphabetical order, don't be the person in charge of putting titles in order.  It's that simple.

I can see how alphabetizing terms like "E.T." and "Enchanted" could maybe give you trouble for 4 seconds (E.T. would go before because the period after E makes it a separate word), but when I'm looking through the Free Movies A-L category OnDemand and Tarzan is in the mix there's a problem.  Idiots.

Gale databases list all of their entries in alphabetical order by first name and it drives me insane.  Who does that? Was teaching children to alphabetize incorrectly the trendy thing to do at one point?  

Also, articles aren't supposed to be included in the alphabetizing process.  They go at the end of the title, right after a comma.  When I'm procrastinating and looking at episode recaps on The A.V. Club, I should not have to look to the Ts for The Big Bang Theory.  It should be Big Bang Theory, The.  

And this is why librarians need to exist.  To save the masses from poor alphabetization. 

2 comments:

  1. And why dumb people who can't alphabetize exist: to remind us we need librarians. The circle of life...it moves us all.

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