Is Google Memory?

I like the fact that databases are storing knowledge and information. I like that older stuff is finding new value as it gets digitized. I like that I can find stuff now that was trapped in paper with limited fulltext indexing.

On the other hand, I still like the good and important stuff to have finely crafted metadata, subject analysis, link control, quality checks, etc. I also like my digital conversions to be decent and not haphazard. I like quality databases that assemble collections and not just a morass. And I really like it when the search protocols aren’t manipulated by search engine optimization experts and content spammers serving commercial interests, advertisers, policians, racists and looneys! I like it when I am the user in control and not subject to a distant algorithm.

There’s room for both. In that vein, consider:

INFOGRAPHIC: Google Is Destroying Our Memory

So, is Google memory? Not by a long shot. Does Google complement memory. Yes. But libraries do it better when the combine the best of both worlds – concumer and quality databases, print and digital, computer aids and human profesional assistance.

Stephen