Oklahoma Center for the Book has received one of 56 card catalogs brought out of retirement by the Library of Congress and distributed through its Center for the Book affiliate network. The card catalog has been transformed into a Library of Congress information kiosk to help remind library patrons, especially during National Library Week , that the Library of Congress is a library for all.
The card catalog information kiosk can be found at Bristow Public Library at 111 W 7th Ave.
“To many in Oklahoma, the Library of Congress feels out of reach. This display features some of their services that are available for everyone, making the Library of Congress more accessible to our community,” said Justice Sweger, Bristow Library director.
Every card catalog kiosk features signage indicating the card catalog was once in active use at the Library of Congress and explaining
its history and original purpose.The front of each drawer includes the name of a Library of Congress service or program. Inside each of the 15 drawers is a card containing a brief description of the featured initiative, along with a QR code leading to the page on the Library’s website that contains more information.
The 15 Library of Congress services and programs highlighted are: ·
• Affiliate Centers for the Book
• American Folklife Center
• Ask a Librarian
• By The People Transcription Program
• Digital Collections
• Exhibitions
• Free to Use and Reuse Sets
• Law Library of Congress
• Library of Congress Blogs
• Literacy Awards
• National Book Festival
• National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled
• Teaching with Primary Sources
• U.S.Copyright Office
• Veterans History Project “We are very grateful for the Library’s Affiliate Centers for the Book,”said Lee Ann Potter, director of Professional Learning and Outreach Initiatives at the Library of Congress. “Not only does this community of 56 organizations regularly help the Library of Congress promote reading, libraries and literacy across the country, but all of them played an important role in finding fabulous homes for the card catalog kiosks in their states or territories. The responses we are getting from the Affiliate Center directors have been inspiring.”
About Card Catalogs Card catalogs were a familiar sight to library users beginning in the middle of the 19th century and lasting for decades. Every drawer contained hundreds of individual cards that featured information about each item in a library’s collection. Arranged by title, author and subject, the cards helped people find materials and helped libraries to keep track of their collections. In the 1970s, the digitization of library catalogs began, and soon the physical card catalogs cases were retired.The Library of Congress catalog, once held in card catalog cases, is now available online at catalog.loc.gov.
About the Library of Congress The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States – and extensive materials from around the world – both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright. gov.