Once upon a time, the web lived on paper...
Hello!
I am a PhD researcher at the Information School of the University of Washington in Seattle.
I am currently doing research for my PhD dissertation on printed Internet directory books. Often marketed as yellow pages, guidebooks, or atlases for the Internet, these books provide categorized listings of Internet resources for their readers. They were a common sight in bookstores, libraries, and cybercafes around the world in the 1990s and early 2000s.
My dissertation project will trace the history of these books: how they were produced and published, why they stayed popular throughout the 1990s when search engines and online directories were readily available, and how they shaped people's early experiences of the web.
If you were an author, publisher, seller, and/or user of printed Internet directory books back in the day, I would like to talk to you! Your experience can help preserve an overlooked part of early web history.
Please take a look at the information sheet below to learn about your rights as an interviewee, and feel free to reach out using the link below. I have a flexible schedule and will work with your available times.
Thank you—and I look forward to connecting with you.
Information sheet for interviewees
Let's get in touch! (or, alternatively, email me at lwhuang at uw.edu)