Today's Word is Moi

Indiana librarians keep up with the latest developments in the Hoosier library world by reading the Indiana State Library's digital newsletter, Wednesday Word.  Guess who's featured in today's edition?

Moi

It's a very nice article celebrating our over half a million blog views.  Click here, then scroll down, to read it.

It's not commonly known, but the Lady With the Red Hair, one of my minions, wrote for Wednesday Word back in the late 1990s and early 2000s when she was head of the Indiana State Library Catalog Division.

There are many fine spokescritters (several felines, but also bunnies, birds, fish, and other friendly faces) in Hoosier libraries across the state.  We are highly effective public relations officers who can really draw in the crowds.  Here are just a few famous friends:

• Chance (and the late Tober), boss cat at Thorntown (Indiana) Public Library;
• Morgan the Library Bunny at Morgan County (Indiana) Public Library;
• Oliver the Library Cat at Clinton (Indiana) Public Library;
• Carnegie the Library Cat at Brazil (Indiana) Public Library;
• Westfield Washington Public Library (Indiana) has fish (I call them swimming dinners) as its spokescritters (following my suggestion blogged in 2011).

To find further library spokescritters around the country, take a peek at this blog post.

If your library doesn't have a spokescritter, we highly recommend adopting one.  Somebody's got to keep all those humans in line.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

Have DVD, Will Travel

As part of a pilot program, soon DVDs will transit between Evergreen Indiana libraries. That means, if my library has a DVD you want, and your "home" E.I. library is elsewhere (say, for example, in Clinton, Indiana, where Clinton Public Library's famous cat, Oliver, lives; or Thorntown, Indiana, where Thorntown Public Library's famous cat, Chance, lives, and where the even more famous cat, the late Tober, lived), you may place a hold on the desired DVD using your Evergreen Indiana library card and designate delivery to your "home" E.I. library.  Our DVD will be sent to you there, just like books, audiobooks, graphic novels, and other cool stuff you may checkout from the consortium.  When you're finished watching, just return it to any E.I. library, and it will be sent back to us through our transit system.  Pretty easy!

Click the E.I. Card (Above) to View the E.I. Online Catalog

Of course, the whole thing works in reverse--our patrons may place holds on other participating E.I. libraries' DVDs (only a certain number of libraries have been selected to participate in the pilot program), which will then transit here for our patrons to pick-up and return.

Our promo trailer (video) elaborates.

Evergreen Indiana DVD Transit Promo Trailer,

by Mooresville Public Library

How soon will DVDs begin to transit?  The Indiana State Library is still putting the finishing touches into our computerized system, so it will probably be sometime in March or April 2017.  But it's coming, and soon you'll be able to see lots of movies that your local E.I. library may not have. It's just another aspect of the wonderfulness that's Evergreen Indiana--your access to over seven million items!

Where do you find DVDs at my library?  I've got a map for that.  Make with the photo, minions.

Our Media Alcove in the Adult Services Area

(As It Looked in 2011)

Your (Retired) Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

P.S.  My more senior readers may recognize that I based my title to this blog post on the television series, Have Gun -- Will Travel (1957-1963), starring Richard Boone as Paladin. Here's the series' theme song, "The Ballad of Paladin," sung by Johnny Western.

Thorntown's Second Chance

Last November, we lost a wonderful library spokescritter at Thorntown (Indiana) Public Library (TPL).  We all loved Tober and were crushed by his sudden passing.  He was a truly grand library cat.

But life is all about second chances, as Tober well knew.  His life significantly improved when TPL adopted him, and he made the lives of TPL's staff and patrons (as well as all of us who followed his blog) immeasurably happier.  He would be glad to see another street feline have such a wonderful forever home.

A couple of months ago, TPL adopted another friendly feline to be their resident library cat. His name is Chance, and, given the tough life he's had before his new job at TPL, he has been given a second chance at life.

We've borrowed a few photos of Chance from TPL's Facebook page, where you may see additional pictures and learn more about this handsome boy.  As always, click the images to bigify (as Tober used to say).

Chance, TPL Resident Cat

Chance will be writing to Tober's blog, so be sure to take a peek.

Looks like TPL has a superb new library greeter and PR man.  You've got big paws to fill, Chance, but you'll be fine, I can tell.  Welcome!  Now tell your minions to get to work.  Treats and belly scratches don't do themselves, you know.

Your (Retired) Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

True Feline Literati

Anyone who knows anything about library cats surely must have heard about Baker and Taylor, who lived during the 1980s until the mid-1990s at the Douglas County Public Library branch in Minden, Nevada.  They became famous, of course, when they were named the official mascots of Baker & Taylor, the gigantic library resource supplier.

In the early 1980s, librarians Yvonne Saddler (1927-2014; DCPL director/county librarian, 1967-1989) and Jan Louch (born 1931); DCPL assistant county librarian/reference, 1978-1997), discovered that their brand new library building had a rattermeece problem (humans call them mice).  In 1983 they decided to hire a feline to control the unwelcome visitors, who were known to damage books by chewing paper and glue bindings.  (From the condition of some of the books that are returned to my library, I wonder if some of our human patrons are following suit.)  The rattermeeces quickly disappeared, but the kitty (called Baker) was kept on the staff to serve the public in different ways (e.g., official greeter, bossing colleagues, assisting patrons, supervising acquisitions and cataloging, etc.) Louch and Saddler intended to have two cats on staff (to keep one another company), and they planned to call the second Taylor, to go with Baker, after the huge library resource supplier, Baker & Taylor.  Thanks to B & T, Taylor soon joined Baker and the crew.  Subsequently, the kitties became the official spokescritters of B & T.  That's when they became world famous.

Jan Louch and Lisa Rogak have written a biography of Baker and Taylor that is now available in our Evergreen Indiana catalog to checkout. Naturally, we have a book trailer.

MPL Book Trailer #277

The True Tails of Baker & Taylor:  The Library Cats

Who Left Their Pawprints on a Small Town ... And the World,

by Jan Louch (with Lisa Rogak)

Taylor and Baker with Jan Louch

(photo courtesy of Jan Louch)

 Baker and Taylor gracing their namesakes' book bag
(photo courtesy of Baker & Taylor, LLC)

 Baker & Taylor mascots at a library conference (2005)

(photo courtesy of Genie Alisa)

The second Baker & Taylor poster
(photo courtesy of Baker & Taylor, LLC)

One of the nice features of Louch's book is that it includes vignettes featuring modern library cats, including the late Tober, former boss kitty (2008-2015) at Thorntown (Indiana) Public Library; and Elsie (of St. Helena [California] Public Library fame).  (Since I don't actually live inside my library, I wasn't mentioned, but that's okay.)  These stories demonstrate that library cats continue to serve as invaluable resources, just as Baker and Taylor did so long ago.

I've enjoyed reading the book (or, rather, having my minions read it aloud to moi).  It's one of the aspects of my retirement that is most pleasant.  I think you'll like the book, too.  Check it out from your local library (or buy a copy from Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, or some other bookseller).

Your (Retired) Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

Goodbye, Tober

Tober, Boss Cat at Thorntown (Indiana) Public Library, has passed over.  I am so sad I can hardly lift my paws to type this.

Tober

Tober posted his farewell blog.  All of his previous postings will be kept active for his many fans to enjoy.

Tober came to Thorntown Public Library on October 19, 2008, and he immediately took charge, as we felines should do.  Humans need our supervision and direction, after all.  He had a terrific forever home there, and he made many lifelong friends among staff and patrons.

Tober was (and will continue to be) a world-famous library cat.  He appeared on the cover of the 2014 Baker & Taylor cat calendar.  Hundreds of thousands of humans followed his blog posts.

Tober, calendar cover kitty

Tober's blog has a worldwide audience, with over 180,000 viewings (new count), which, when added to a previous blog count (approximately 175,000), meant that his blog posts have been viewed over 355,000 times.  That's more than my blog, folks.

Tober was the inspiration behind a 2011 Indiana Library Federation (ILF) workshop about library critters being outstanding marketing tools for libraries (especially public libraries). Had it not been for Tober, that workshop would never have happened.

In 2012 my minions made a special trip to visit Tober on his Finding Day (October 19), about which I blogged here.

There are many wonderful library cats throughout the world, but none made a bigger impression on his library patrons and colleagues than Tober.  He was an exceptional goodwill ambassador for Thorntown Public Library, bringing good cheer and happiness to thousands of visitors.  He set the standard for what exceptional library service should be. His friends will truly miss his happy purr, gentle headbutts, and charming personality.

Although we are crying as we type this, we know that Tober is among friends as he has crossed the Rainbow Bridge.  The Summerland is a wonderful place for kitties to be with other departed pals, and we know that, when our time arrives to cross-over, we will see him again and romp together.  Those will surely be good times.

For now, we remember Tober as he would have wanted.  He brought sunshine into our lives and made life better everyday for everyone who knew him.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

P.S.  We reprise our promo trailer celebrating Tober Finding Day, October 19 (2012).

P.P.S.  Here's our Tober promo trailer with an alternate soundtrack (2012).

P.P.P.S.  2016 Update:  Peaches & Paprika created a touching, beautifully rendered video tribute to our loving feline friends, including Tober, who crossed the Rainbow Bridge in 2015.  My human friends should grab the tissues--there will be tears--but the love that remains in our hearts will reach our departed pals in their new heavenly homes.  Visit the Peaches & Paprika YouTube Channel for more videos, and also peruse their blog.

Redheads Should Celebrate, For Sure

Today (November 5) is National Love Your Red Hair Day.  You can look it up.  Here, too.  The Lady With the Red Hair, who is head of Technical Services at Greenwood (Indiana) Public Library, and volunteers (and offers craft programs) at my Library, should definitely celebrate.  So should Tober, Boss Kitty at Thorntown (Indiana) Public Library.  As always, click the photos to bigify.

The Lady With the Red Hair with Tober,

Boss Cat at Thorntown (Indiana) Public Library

(on Tober Finding Day, October 19, 2012)

Miss Susan, Communications Director for

Mooresville (Indiana) Consolidated School Corporation

(I call her "The Talk of the Town")

I, of course, have black hair (humans call it fur), but I know many feline red-hairs.  "Fur" instance, there's Tober (see above), as well as Biscuit, one of my home pals, and Oliver, children's catbrarian at Clinton (Indiana) Public Library.  Don't forget Porter C. Bibliocat at Anna Porter Public Library in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Biscuit, commander of Feline Enforcers XIV (right),
with Harley Quinn, MPL feline "cub" reporter

Tober made the cover of the 2014 Baker & Taylor cat calendar

Oliver, Children's Catbrarian at Clinton (Indiana) Public Library

Porter C. Bibliocat

Advertisers recognize the selling power of redheads, especially when combined.

Two is better than one

Naturally, this excludes unnatural kitty redhairs, such as this faux-red-furred feline.

You're not fooling anybody, I hope you know

How should redheads celebrate today?  For the humans, chocolate is always good.  For us felines, some kitty treats or my personal favorite, canned tuna-in-oil, unless your V-E-T has restricted your diet to exclude tuna products.

Then there are the big celebrations where redheads congregate and have great fun.

Courtesy of Ginger Parrot website

Courtesy of Cosmopolitan (Hearst Magazines UK) website

Maybe your favorite library should put up a book display featuring redheads, including, of course, Clifford the Big Red Slobberdog, created by Norman Bridwell, who grew up in Kokomo, Indiana.

Natural or artificial color?

If that's not Clifford's natural hair color, I certainly won't be telling him.  Who needs a gigantic slobberdog angry at moi?

Enjoy your day, redheads!  You rock!

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

Tober's Minions Banish Winter With Hoodie Hoo

Last Friday (February 20, 2015) was the annual Hoodie Hoo Day at Thorntown (Indiana) Public Library, when TPL staff and friends banished winter with a hearty "hoodie hoooooo!" Tober, TPL Boss Cat, has a video of all the excitement.

To Watch Video, Click Image (Above) to Jump to Tober's Blog

It was 12 degrees Fahrenheit outside when they recorded this video clip, so this was probably the coldest Hoodie Hoo ever.  The next day, central Indiana was hit with around eight inches of snow.  I guess Winter was a tad bit irked at being banished.

There's Some Chow Beneath That Snow Somewhere, Scurrydog

Still, TPL gave Jack Frost the proverbial business, so things should begin warming around here soon.  Not this week, when we'll once again have bitter cold, but these things take time.

Tober, of course, was inside the library, safe and warm.  We felines have some sense.  That's why we have minions to perform the necessary grunt-work.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

OcTOBER 19 is Tober Finding Day

Today is Tober Finding Day.  Long-time readers know that Tober is Boss Cat at Thorntown (Indiana) Public Library, which is celebrating its centennial in exciting fashion. Although Tober is miffed about all the attention being focused on non-Tober activities, he gives a fine accounting of all the terrific things TPL has been doing lately.  Check-out his blog post for the four-one-one.

Tober enjoying a sun-patch at Thorntown Public Library

(in all his handsome man-catliness)

Although his colleagues seem to have forgotten to spring a huge celebration for Tober Finding Day, we certainly remember!  Let's reprise our Tober tribute video, which you may remember from my previous blog post:

Celebrating Tober Finding Day (October 19)

by Cauli Le Chat

(MPL Promo Trailer, 2012)

Alternate Soundtrack Version of Tober Finding Day video

(MPL Promo Trailer, 2012)

Thorntown should hold a parade specifically to honor Tober and his finding a forever home at TPL.  This is a good month for Fall parades, after all.  I hope there's at least a big party at the library.  Catnip cake for everybody!  N'yum, n'yum.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

Tober, Calendar Cover Kitty

Tober, Boss Cat at Thorntown (Indiana) Public Library, has made the cover of the 2014 Baker & Taylor library calendar.  This is HUGE!!!!

Click to Bigify

Read Tober's blog post to learn more about this exciting tribute to Indiana's most famous library feline.

But Tober isn't the only Hoosier library kitty featured on the calendar. There's also Uma, resident feline at Bloomfield-Eastern Greene County (Indiana) Public Library, who graces the August 2014 calendar page.

I wasn't eligible for the calendar, because, unlike my library kitty colleagues, I don't live inside my Library.  I just visit outside (but sometimes sneak inside to report on what's happening, although I usually just send my minions for routine stories).

As Sparkle the Designer Cat would say, conCATulations, Tober and Uma! All Indiana library-associated felines are honored that you represent us.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

P.S.  Two humans were given the important task of impersonating Baker & Taylor at the 2009 Texas Library Association conference in Houston.