Vintage Card Catalog

Remember this??

'Vintage Card Catalog' - I'm thinking that might be redundant. I looked up the word 'vintage' in the online dictionary and found that it can refer to anything that's from 30 to 100 years old. One hundred or more years is considered antique. I was glad to learn that I am not yet an antique, but neither is my library card catalog an antique. It is probably from the 1930s or '40s, so it would be considered vintage.

Yes, back in the good ol' days, we would go to the public library and search the card catalog for the book we wanted. Then we would search the stacks, armed with the information, often handwritten, on that little note card, and find our book. I remember hoping that I didn't have an outstanding fine, or that the librarian, who was at least 110 years old, wouldn't look at me with disappointment and shake her little bony finger at me. (For years, I thought that being cranky and shriveled were prerequisites for a librarian.)

Now I go to Amazon. (Wait! There's more to this story.) Any subject I may be thinking of will probably be represented there by at least one title, whether or not I purchase it from them. But it usually lists several suggestions, has a 'Look Inside' feature which includes a Table of Contents, and a brief synopsis of the book. Then I can go online to my regional public library system, locate and order the book. In a few days it will be waiting for me at my local public library! Inter-library loan was a great idea, wasn't it! Although I can't bring myself to say that I inter-library loan a book, but that I inter-library borrow it.

Just today I paid a $1.00 library fine (I think that fines accumulate rapidly on inter-library loan books!) and am happy to report that that particular stain on my character has been expunged.

What is that piece of plastic trash doing in there?

Several years ago, the Westby, Wisconsin library had a sale when they were moving into their new location. Kevin and I purchased the oak library table with six chairs (which we've used as a kitchen table ever since), three huge stand-alone, access-from-both-sides bookshelves (each set has 48 linear feet of shelf space), and the card catalog you see pictured above with the stand it rests on. The entire package, on a silent auction bid, was ours for $400.  Yeah, that was a long time ago.

 Crusaders and Turks, U.S. Army men and a Confederate soldier

as well as an assortment of little metal trucks and cars

Always good to have a few emergency vehicles available.

As you can see, I like to use the card catalog to store little things the kids might like to play with, as well as labels, staples, chess pieces, audio tapes?, etc.

I had often thought of using the card catalog to catalog our own books, but decided against it in favor of what you see here.

 

Oh, I see a few stray soldiers here, as well as a naked doll.

Time to reorganize this drawer!

I now also have a drawer of horses. When I showed it to our grandson, he looked disappointed and with a downcast look said, 'Gwamma, I wike cows.'  :-)

Anyone know where I can get a small (literally) herd of inexpensive plastic cows (and calves)?

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This post is linked to some or all of the following: Amaze Me Monday and Skip to My Lou and Bedazzle Me Monday and  What's in the Gunny Sack and  Making the World Cuter Mondays and Make the Scene Monday and  Made By You Monday and  Something I Whipped Up Monday and  Motivate Me Monday and  Making Monday Marvelous and Get Your Craft On and Tip Me Tuesday and  Made from Scratch Tuesday and  Take a Look Tuesday and  Tasty Tuesday and Tasty Tuesday and  Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays  and Two Maids a Baking and Overflowing With Creativity and What's Cookin' Wednesday and Cast Party Wednesday and  We Did it Wednesday  and It's a Party at Creative Princess and Link it Up Thursday and Threading Your Way and Lisa's Gluten-Free Blog and Favorite Things Friday and I'm Lovin' it Friday and It's a Hodgepodge Friday  and Creative Bloggers and  Serenity Saturday and  Home and Family Friday