Pollux writes:

All change is not growth, as all movement is not forward. So the saying goes, and The New Yorker’s Cartoon Bank has changed, but it has not grown. The changes made, as of October 6, 2009, to the Cartoon Bank have unfortunately set it back in terms of usability, accuracy, and reliability.

Ben Bass has written a cogent analysis of the overhaul, and its effect on what used to be a dependable storehouse of New Yorker cartoons and covers.

It’s not just about searching easily for your favorite dog and desert island cartoons. As Bass writes, “the removal of popularity search also adversely affects the artists themselves, who get commissions on each sale.”

For my part, I’ve experienced difficulties finding such simple things as Robert Crumb’s famous 1994 cover that depicted his version of Eustace Tilley.

I type in “Robert Crumb” and get results that include cartoons and covers drawn by artists whose first name is Robert (e.g. Robert Tallon, Robert Kraus). But no Robert Crumb cover. And I did what everyone else will soon do: find an alternate way of looking for New Yorker artists’ work.

Is every change to the Cartoon Bank a move backward? No. The site has a clean, intuitive design with “Refine Search” engines that simply need to be fine-tuned.

We’d be interested in what Emdashes readers have to say about this issue. Please post your feedback!

Update: As of November 11, 2009, some changes were made to the site, which include enhanced navigation, new framing options, a preview tool for customized products, and a canvas print option for covers.

Also by Ben Bass: a recent write-up on The New Yorker Festival and Avenue Queue, a special 2007 Festival report.