BonnerSprings.com

Sometimes there is an embarrassment of riches in one's life! I'm not talking about money because I'm of the personal opinion that with money, there's never quite enough to do whatever one wishes. I'm talking about phone books. If there were a market for phone books, I'd have all that money I covet, but nobody wants the darn things. Phone books are probably the one thing a person can throw recklessly at our driveway without stopping their vehicle and rest assured they won't be stolen. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't complain too much if those big yellow tomes were taken.

I don't know how much they cost to print. The big advertisements themselves are pricey, I know. However, they are so quickly outdated that their cost may not be worth it. I have come to the conclusion that searching through the many phone books I own, is time wasted. This wasn't always true. There was a time during the 20th century when we only possessed a few phone books - the yellow pages and the white pages. Then, any area business or person we really wished to contact could be found.

I have phone books that purport to list telephone numbers from many different local regions. I have a phone book for Leavenworth County, one for Douglas County; one that says it is for all of Wyandotte County and the surrounding region, and other combinations of areas.

But I have great difficulty locating the number for my doctor's office even though she is a short drive away in Shawnee. I am frequently frustrated in trying to locate almost any business even with the Yellow Pages. And, how do I find what I'm looking for when I throw down the phone books?

I go to the Internet. Bill Gates predicted Yellow Pages usage among people under 50 would drop to near zero in the next five years. I'm a great deal more than 50 in years and have used printed phone directories for many years, but I'm beginning to get frustrated by the way they handle business and personal numbers. Of course the situation is worsened by the fact that many people now have no land line but rely on their cell phones.

It is ironic that in an age in which people are more connected to others than ever before, telephone and directory companies cannot make a comprehensive and inclusive directory for any one geographic area such as the Kansas City Metropolitan Area.

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