Another reason I love the internet

[yendi]

A colleague and I just spent some time brainstorming a way to let a bunch of cats loose in the school library, which would ensure that we'd always have cat time whenever we needed it at work, and also probably bring more visitors to the library. After all, a library is just a used bookstore with a near-100% return rate, and everyone knows that cats and used bookstores go together.

Turns out there's a web page documenting library cats around the world. Turns out it's a pretty common trend.

Comments

[rubian77.livejournal.com]

They do?

In PA, cats and garden centers/florists go together. Not so much used bookstores.

[yendi]

Seriously? I've long seen cats in used bookstores, both in NY and in Atlanta. Haven't really seen them in MA, but given the way stores die out, I haven't seen many stores themselves.

[rubian77.livejournal.com]

PA is probably just behind the times...

[aiela.livejournal.com]

A friend who is a county library director occasionally gets asked about having a library cat, and she'd love to, but she worries about patrons with allergies and whether or not that would bring up accessibility issues.

[pixelfish.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I'm glad somebody's thinking about us allergic folk. I love cats, please don't get me wrong--used to have a couple before my allergies blossomed as an adult. But cats in the library might be prohibitive for me spending more than half an hour there.

There are cats at the used bookstore (Twice Sold Tales) in Capitol Hill here in Seattle and I was acquainted with Ripley (now deceased) at Borderlands in San Fran.

[yendi]

*nod* That was the reason the co-worker and I gave up on the idea (although we also considered the idea of fetching books for folks with allergies, and creating a hazmat-style shielded zone).

[pixelfish.livejournal.com]

Maybe you could do sealed glass habitrails that went through the library with the cats ending up in rooms with HEPA air filters that don't share primary filters with the main library rooms.

Fetching books sadly wouldn't be an optimal solution since one of the reasons I go is not just for the books, but for library space itself--the silence and the air of learning. I take my computer for writing, and usually get more done than if I'd stayed at home.

Having once been a cat owner, I definitely miss my kitties, but I hate feeling like the party pooper when it comes to pets in public spaces. I had to request that my coworker stop bringing her cat into work, because even if she kept in just her office, the air systems aren't separate and after one day I was getting wheezy. I just started the allergy shots (which don't CURE the allergy; they provide a slowly upgraded exposure to allergens) so hopefully in about a year or two, my quality of life will be much improved.

(Random fact: For the duration of any flights originating in Canada or operating out of Canada, I am considered a disabled person by Canadian laws due to my allergies.)

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

I love that I have converted you to a Person Who Needs Cat Time.

[yendi]

Actually, the cats did that.

[thornsilver]

I love that there is a Library Ghost Cat.

[yendi]

I'm totally not shocked that there's one.