JustAPerspective t1_j4igq7x wrote
Reply to comment by Psychological-Rub-72 in TIL that when Weird Al wrote I Want A New Duck in 1985, he went to the library and researched ducks for a week by ElderCunningham
"A week gong to the library" was half an hour en route, an hour or two there, and half an hour back, plus notes that would hand-written (nobody was hauling a typewriter that far) and "photocopier" was not a publicly available thing.
OSCgal t1_j4isb1g wrote
Handwritten notes would be easiest, but portable typewriters did exist. And libraries could have typewriters available.
I am slightly too young to remember what kind of copy technology my library had in the mid-1980s, but commercial copiers were introduced in 1959, so it's entirely possible that libraries has them.
creggieb t1_j4j7fzq wrote
In the early 90s my library had coin-op photocopiers.
-tiberius t1_j4kezf4 wrote
A hand-carried typewriter is the kinda thing Al would own.
JustAPerspective t1_j4jhub0 wrote
>Handwritten notes would be easiest, but portable typewriters did exist. And libraries could have typewriters available.
Those "portable" typewriters - you might want to look up the weight & size. Then remember that "wheels on the case" wasn't a thing yet, and imagine lugging that to a public building. Also the replacement ink, erasing cartridge (if applicable) and if it's electric you're gonna need to plug it in.
Notes were easier - we were there.
>I am slightly too young to remember what kind of copy technology my library had in the mid-1980s, but commercial copiers were introduced in 1959, so it's entirely possible that libraries has them.
Largely, they did not until the 90s.
shhhhquiet t1_j4k04be wrote
Coin op copiers were a thing in the 80s and any library with a collection big enough to support a week of in-person research just on ducks probably had one. It would have been a high priority in fact. I remember using them in my not-terribly-large public library in the late 80s.
JustAPerspective t1_j4kftb0 wrote
Entirely possible - our experiences weren't universal, & our recollection could readily be wrong.
PlainTrain t1_j4jqoho wrote
Nonsense. Canon was advertising personal photocopiers in 1985.
JustAPerspective t1_j4jsa46 wrote
Common sense would realize that public libraries didn't often have funding for expensive equipment in most neighborhoods, especially new stuff that was delicate and required a lot of maintenance.
PlainTrain t1_j4ju2ow wrote
You really should just quit because you have no idea what you are talking about. Photocopiers were extremely common in the mid ‘80s. My small rural high school had two in 1985: one in the office, one in the library.
VeryJoyfulHeart59 t1_j4mef88 wrote
I don't doubt that Weird Al made handwritten notes.
Although portable typewriters were definitely a thing in 1985, they were loud. (Libraries were still a shhhhh zone back then.) Plus people didn't really take notes on a typewriter. Typewriters were generally used once you had all your notes and were ready to type your final document (or at least a first draft).
Photocopiers were definitely available in Southern California libraries (where Weird Al grew most likely resides). I know that my library had one in 1967. However, they were fairly expensive to use.
Besides, given the lyrics, I don't think he was taking down massive amounts of duck details.
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