Cats in the Library

Cats in the Library
By Luci Fur Strauss, defacto kitty at the Moretown Memorial Library

It was so lovely to see many of the Valley dogs in last week’s paper, including my counterparts Sebastian and Sandy. Although you may not see me everyday, I do enjoy lounging on the library stairs from time to time to introduce myself. Of course, my favorite thing to do in the summer is to arrive unannounced in the middle of storytime at the sunflower house. Children usually shout with delight as they spot my big bushy tail and lion-like mane of fur. After a few pets and pages of the book, I like to wander to a spot nearby to sit and listen to the rest of the story.

I am certainly not the first library cat, in fact my species has been associated with libraries since Ancient Egypt. Our original job was Rodent Control Specialist, however over the years we have also brought a calming presence to our library homes and often provide comic relief as we stuff ourselves into tiny boxes, lounge on people’s open books and generally do all things cat. Perhaps my most famous counterpart is Dewey Readmore Books from Spencer, Iowa. Abandoned in the book drop as a kitten and named after the inventor of the Dewey Decimal system, Mr. Books spent the nineteen years (90 in cat) of his life as staff supervisor. There are even several books for both adults and children on Dewey, including “Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World” by librarian Vicki Myron. As cat enthusiasts can tell you, a simple internet search will lead you to many other great stories of cats and the joy they bring to their libraries.

While you are at the library hoping for a view of me and the possibility I might decide to greet you, I hope you will consider signing up for the workshop on Bullet Journaling for the New Year happening Sunday, January 14th at 4pm. At the intersection of a to-do list, planner and diary, bullet journaling is a creative analog space for organization. The first five people that register to attend by contacting moretownlibrary@gmail.com or 496-9728 will also receive a free journal. If you are from the smaller human crowd, you might enjoy coming to a new after school book club based on movement. The first session of “Move it and READ” will take place at the library on Thursday, January 18th starting at 3pm and features the book “Ghost” by Jason Reynolds. Contact moretowncircdesk@gmail.com for more details or to sign up. Finally, I heartily recommend the first Moretown Open Mic of the season on Friday, January 12th at the Old Town Hall at 7pm. Although you won’t find me inside the library any time soon due to possible allergies and the busy road right out front, do come look for me some summer day, relaxing in the grass behind the library and ready to say hello.