Research and the underworld

[eurydicebound]

If i were to paint a picture of the underworld, I'd be terribly tempted to illustrate it as some sort of Hades-esque university library, with lots of people endlessly sitting or standing about tables and computer monitors, silent as the grave, while shelves from floor to ceiling cut off line of sight and deaden sound, and although there are windows, it is impossible to tell time of day or how long, exactly, one has been here.

This has been my afternoon, trapped in the underworld of Suzzalo library. Not the attractive, aesthetically pleasing part of Suzzalo, mind you. The modern, beige grey, flourescently-lit part. I got my part of input done for the group project, and now I'm doing sources and such for my paper. I could have done some of this at home, but I wanted to be here in case I needed a book. Just such a book now lays to the left of my computer. It is the only one I needed, naturally, which is strange, but thus is the nature of modern research.

From initial database searches, I came back with a few hundred possible sources, sorted through to mark 31 of them, which were then refined to discover which were actually available, which were then refined to eliminate the Obviously Wrong ones, which were then narrowed down to a field of 16 for further review, plus one online book, plus one physical book (in addition to my text). This must be then narrowed further to roughly three. Yep, three.

There will be a great deal of scanning and reading and sighing yet to come. Oh yes. However, I think I can do this well enough at home. With tea. And possibly other means of fortification. Assuming, of course, I can get past Cerberus without an Orpheus to play a lute or something. They're pretty lax about such things these days, though. After all, not like you won't come back (or that they won't charge you fees if necessary if you don't). :)

All right. Home then. Yoiks, and away.....

Comments

[sefue.livejournal.com]

That sounds entirely too familiar. Hang in there!