It's a moment from well over a decade ago, and the setting - inside one of the city's oldest libraries - made it feel as if I was truly set back by at least 50 years, if not more.

I was tracking down a few facts for a particular book on the city's heritage, and after two days had realised that I had hit a dead end. Anyone who has utilised the old-style procedure of tracing a book - under authors and then under title names, done alphabetically - would know the precision required for this task. Add to that my misfortune to learn that the 'computerised' search engine on the library's dusty desktops was out of service. That meant I was stuck with the arduous task of having to look for a needle in a haystack. Harry Potter's chamber of secrets seemed less intimidating. I looked around to find a diverse bunch of 'searchers' - from professors, to research fellows and foreign exchange students - all poring over card catalogues with dedication.