What was this serials technology called? Cheryl Boettcher Tarsala 30 Apr 2008 17:13 UTC

This is a somewhat recreational question, but perhaps the list would
be willing to weigh in on it.

I've been cruising flickr looking for cataloging images for my blog,
and found this one:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/meliroo/444411917/in/set-72157600043671337/

I realized that it's a mysterious, lost technology that I don't know
anything about.  What on earth was it called?  I struggle to think of
keywords to even Google it!

I'm old enough to remember them in use, but never personally worked
with them. How did all the little cardboard strips fit into the
typewriter so you could type on them? Do you pull off the top metal
strip of the holder and drop the strips into each side? And, I
suppose you have to shift all the strips each time you get a new line
...?

Any insight into the workings of these things from long-time
serialists would be appreciated!
--
Cheryl Boettcher Tarsala
Adjunct Assistant Professor
LEEP Program, Graduate School of Library and Information Science
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

c-tarsala@linkline.com
ctarsala@uiuc.edu

The views expressed here are my own and not those of UIUC or GSLIS.