--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was looking at books and reading the…" description: "\"I was looking at books and reading the indexes and finding a next book and reading that book, and then from that index ... It was a version of surfing ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/481/lisa-yuskavage-30188_back-when_i-was-looking-at-books-and-reading-the-i_1439448.jpg" --- # I was looking at books and reading the indexes and finding… ![“I was looking at books and reading the indexes and finding a next book and reading that book, and then from that index ... It was a version of surfing the internet before the internet. I was surfing the New York Public Library. It was back when you had to fill out a form and put it in a chute.” quote by Lisa Yuskavage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/481/lisa-yuskavage-30188_back-when_i-was-looking-at-books-and-reading-the-i_1439448.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/481/lisa-yuskavage-30188_back-when_i-was-looking-at-books-and-reading-the-i_1439448.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/481/lisa-yuskavage-30188_back-when_i-was-looking-at-books-and-reading-the-i_1439448.jpg) > “I was looking at books and reading the indexes and finding a next book and reading that book, and then from that index ... It was a version of surfing the internet before the internet. I was surfing the New York Public Library. It was back when you had to fill out a form and put it in a chute.” [Lisa Yuskavage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-yuskavage/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker describes manually browsing library catalogs as an early form of digital information surfing, highlighting analog discovery before the internet. **In simple terms:** Finding books via physical indexes felt like early internet surfing. Key Takeaway Embrace analog research methods for deeper exploration. Themes knowledge discovery analog exploration information seeking Mood nostalgic curious Type reflective historical When to use this quote - research projects - academic study - personal learning - creative inspiration Key Concepts library science media history digital precursors Questions to Reflect On - How does analog browsing shape your research mindset? - What value does tactile discovery hold today? A Different Perspective The process can be time‑consuming and limited by physical collection size. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Back when](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/back-when/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Books and reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books-and-reading/) [Finding Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finding-book-1341706/) [Findings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/findings/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [Internet Surfing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet-surfing-4901726/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) [Next](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next/) [Public library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-library/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Reading Indexes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-indexes-5147295/) [Surfing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surfing/) [Surfing Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surfing-internet-492336/) [Surfing the internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surfing-the-internet-181136/) [Versions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/versions/) ## Related quotes > [And bring me a hard copy of the Internet so I can do some serious surfing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/and-bring-me-a-hard-copy-of-the-internet-so-i-can-do-some-serious/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [The mobile phone is very dangerous. If you're walking and looking at your phone, you're not walking - you're surfing the internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/the-mobile-phone-is-very-dangerous-if-you-re-walking-and-looking-at/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [I use the Internet a lot - it's a big hobby of mine, just surfing the Internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-langford/i-use-the-internet-a-lot-it-s-a-big-hobby-of-mine-just-surfing-the/) [Josephine Langford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-langford/) > [Surfing the Internet every day has become a habit for many leaders and officials, including myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-yuanchao/surfing-the-internet-every-day-has-become-a-habit-for-many-leaders/) [Li Yuanchao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-yuanchao/) > [Surfing on the Internet is like sex; everyone boasts about doing more than they actually do. But in the case of the Internet, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-fasulo/surfing-on-the-internet-is-like-sex-everyone-boasts-about-doing-more/) [Tom Fasulo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-fasulo/) > [Internet safety begins at home and that is why my legislation would require the Federal Trade Commission to design and publish a unique website…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-fitzpatrick/internet-safety-begins-at-home-and-that-is-why-my-legislation-would/) [Mike Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-fitzpatrick/) > [I find that my touchstones go out the window, the routines, the things that you do to keep you grounded. Then when I'm out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemarie-dewitt/i-find-that-my-touchstones-go-out-the-window-the-routines-the-things/) [Rosemarie DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemarie-dewitt/) > [Finding the book was like kissing a lightning bolt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-miller/finding-the-book-was-like-kissing-a-lightning-bolt/) [Karen Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-miller/) > [“Reading centers on finding yourself in a book. -- Sherman Alexie”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-silvey/reading-centers-on-finding-yourself-in-a-book-sherman-alexie/) [Anita Silvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-silvey/) > [I am a product of endless books. My father bought all the books he read and never got rid of any of them. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/i-am-a-product-of-endless-books-my-father-bought-all-the-books-he-2/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Reading centers on finding yourself in a book. ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-silvey/reading-centers-on-finding-yourself-in-a-book/) [Anita Silvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-silvey/) > [The Library of Relationships: Finding someone is like finding a book. You shouldn't walk in the Library and pick up the first book you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troycj/the-library-of-relationships-finding-someone-is-like-finding-a-book/) [TroyCj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troycj/) > [ I have gone to \[this bookshop\] for years, always finding the one book I wanted - and then three more I hadn’t known I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/i-have-gone-to-this-bookshop-for-years-always-finding-the-one-book-i/) [Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/) > [What she was finding also was how one book led to another, doors kept opening wherever she turned and the days weren't long enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/what-she-was-finding-also-was-how-one-book-led-to-another-doors-kept/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) > [ I am a product \[...of\] endless books. My father bought all the books he read and never got rid of any of them… I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/i-am-a-product-of-endless-books-my-father-bought-all-the-books-he-3/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) ## More by Lisa Yuskavage > [I'm not trying to be a finger-wagger at society. I sort of start with myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-yuskavage/i-m-not-trying-to-be-a-finger-wagger-at-society-i-sort-of-start-with/) [Lisa Yuskavage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-yuskavage/) > [A good film is always nourishing. It's not about it being hopeful or bleak; it's about how it touches you, how it moves or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-yuskavage/a-good-film-is-always-nourishing-it-s-not-about-it-being-hopeful-or/) [Lisa Yuskavage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-yuskavage/) > [Sometimes audiences love you because they get to boo you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-yuskavage/sometimes-audiences-love-you-because-they-get-to-boo-you/) [Lisa Yuskavage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-yuskavage/) > [You always feel very vulnerable when you put your work out there. You feel a kind of nakedness. And you expose something of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-yuskavage/you-always-feel-very-vulnerable-when-you-put-your-work-out-there-you/) [Lisa Yuskavage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-yuskavage/) > [It's easy to attack an artist as misogynist, but that's really such a facile epithet. And if an artist is constantly worrying about how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-yuskavage/it-s-easy-to-attack-an-artist-as-misogynist-but-that-s-really-such-a/) [Lisa Yuskavage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-yuskavage/) > [If you don't have your unconscious working for you, you're really out of luck as an artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-yuskavage/if-you-don-t-have-your-unconscious-working-for-you-you-re-really-out/) [Lisa Yuskavage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-yuskavage/) > [I stopped painting because I was so shocked at what I was doing and how much I wasn't in the work. The work was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-yuskavage/i-stopped-painting-because-i-was-so-shocked-at-what-i-was-doing-and/) [Lisa Yuskavage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-yuskavage/) > [There was an expression of intensity in dance that was so compelling to me that I wanted a piece of that action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-yuskavage/there-was-an-expression-of-intensity-in-dance-that-was-so-compelling/) [Lisa Yuskavage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-yuskavage/) > [I think great art goes beyond the control of the artist. In some ways, art often makes itself and reveals things about that artist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-yuskavage/i-think-great-art-goes-beyond-the-control-of-the-artist-in-some-ways/) [Lisa Yuskavage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-yuskavage/) > [I remember seeing a photograph of myself en pointe with my hand over my head and the other hand turned in under my breast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-yuskavage/i-remember-seeing-a-photograph-of-myself-en-pointe-with-my-hand-over/) [Lisa Yuskavage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-yuskavage/) > [I think one important thing that happens in the studio is accepting yourself as the enemy and painting from that point of view. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-yuskavage/i-think-one-important-thing-that-happens-in-the-studio-is-accepting/) [Lisa Yuskavage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-yuskavage/) > [I spent a lot of time at the New York Public Library, the main branch. I was one of those people. If you ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-yuskavage/i-spent-a-lot-of-time-at-the-new-york-public-library-the-main-branch/) [Lisa Yuskavage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-yuskavage/) > [I think it's really important as an artist not to be drawn to the haters, because there are so many people who are nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-yuskavage/i-think-it-s-really-important-as-an-artist-not-to-be-drawn-to-the/) [Lisa Yuskavage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-yuskavage/) > [I think it's important to make art that is not that easily absorbable, that is a challenge to the authorities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-yuskavage/i-think-it-s-important-to-make-art-that-is-not-that-easily-absorbable/) [Lisa Yuskavage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-yuskavage/) > [You have to be polite with your friends and your family, but in your art, it's important to not be polite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-yuskavage/you-have-to-be-polite-with-your-friends-and-your-family-but-in-your/) [Lisa Yuskavage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-yuskavage/) [Explore all 17 Lisa Yuskavage quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-yuskavage/) ## More Back when quotes > [Even the Supreme Court, back when it used to makes sense, the Supreme Court has never ruled that a baby born to illegal aliens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/even-the-supreme-court-back-when-it-used-to-makes-sense-the-supreme/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I've been playing videogames since before my career in this business, but what happened is several videogame companies were recruiting students back then and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-shimomura/i-ve-been-playing-videogames-since-before-my-career-in-this-business/) [Yoko Shimomura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-shimomura/) > [The origin of nursing started out with prostitutes, who would go care for people in jail. That was back when nobody wanted to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-hewson/the-origin-of-nursing-started-out-with-prostitutes-who-would-go-care/) [Eve Hewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-hewson/) > [We must not allow ourselves to become like the system we oppose. We cannot afford to use methods of which we will be ashamed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/we-must-not-allow-ourselves-to-become-like-the-system-we-oppose-we/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [When you feel yourself in the grip of an emotion such as jealousy or anger or sorrow, detach yourself from it. Take a step…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/when-you-feel-yourself-in-the-grip-of-an-emotion-such-as-jealousy-or/) [Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/) > [We humans have indeed always been adept at dovetailing our minds and skills to the shape of our current tools and aids. But when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-clark/we-humans-have-indeed-always-been-adept-at-dovetailing-our-minds-and/) [Andy Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-clark/) > [We shouldn't knee jerk anything. The Iraqi government a few years back, when they had a chance to sign an agreement that would keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-levin/we-shouldn-t-knee-jerk-anything-the-iraqi-government-a-few-years-back/) [Carl Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-levin/) > [Chris Chandler reminds me of my own self way back when - listen to him Now!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-paxton/chris-chandler-reminds-me-of-my-own-self-way-back-when-listen-to-him/) [Tom Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-paxton/) > [Bell, book and candle shall not drive me back, When gold and silver becks me to come on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/bell-book-and-candle-shall-not-drive-me-back-when-gold-and-silver/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I've always hate child stars, starting from way back when, when I was a child. The first child star I saw was Shirley Temple.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-ve-always-hate-child-stars-starting-from-way-back-when-when-i-was-a/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [Help is a conversation. If one side talks too much, the other side will get bored. So make sure you help back when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-altucher/help-is-a-conversation-if-one-side-talks-too-much-the-other-side-will/) [James Altucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-altucher/) > [Back when I was looking for my next step and was researching Gannett, I was interested in who was leading the various businesses within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gracia-martore/back-when-i-was-looking-for-my-next-step-and-was-researching-gannett/) [Gracia Martore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gracia-martore/) > [In later years, holding forth to an interviewer or to an audience of aging fans at a comic book convention, Sam Clay liked to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/in-later-years-holding-forth-to-an-interviewer-or-to-an-audience-of/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [By the time I was twelve, I had started my own theater company and was doing plays in the backyard and the front yard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-preston/by-the-time-i-was-twelve-i-had-started-my-own-theater-company-and-was/) [Carrie Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-preston/) > [Back when I was training, probably the only nutritious thing on the market was Gatorade-that's all that we knew. But now in this day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-jackson/back-when-i-was-training-probably-the-only-nutritious-thing-on-the/) [Bo Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-jackson/) [Browse all 178 Back when quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/back-when/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was looking at books and reading the indexes and finding a next book and reading that book, and then from that index ... It was a version of surfing the internet before the internet. I was surfing the New York Public Library. 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