Like a monolithic dresser with a hundred tiny drawers, these library registers were once the go to source to discover the contents of a library. Each drawer held up to hundreds of index cards, each with meticulously catalogued information. They populated libraries beginning in the late nineteenth century. They were gradually weeded out in the late twentieth century with the digital installment of Online Public Access Catalogues.
My high school library had one, although I believe it was being gradually phased out with an OPAC. Since then I only saw the odd one occur them in smaller specialized collections. (Like the pictures below I snapped from a Music Library I worked in.)
Now, just like typewriters and vinyl long playing records, many are finding a sort of nostalgia in owning one. Rescued from garage sales and vintage stores, you may find one in the home of your favorite nerd. Do you own a card catalogue? What do you keep in it?
I own a 1960s one - a modernist retro piece which is currently being stored since we have very little space but I plan to use it to store spices and teas!
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