These days, iPhones, Xboxes and other high-tech gear get lots of attention. But last Monday, love for old-school, low-tech nostalgia ruled at U-M Property Disposition, as folks lined up to buy 114 wooden card catalogs removed from the U-M Library.
“It’s this wonderful historic object — I grew up with these things and they won’t be around anymore,” said Carolyn Dekker, a graduate student who was first in line, waiting for the doors to open at 12:30 p.m.
Alumna Keli Schneberger was among dozens of bargain hunters checking out 114 wooden card catalogs removed from the U-M Library and offered for sale March 8-9 at U-M Property Disposition. Photo by Scott Galvin, U-M Photo Services.
“Now I’ll have to decide what to put in it,” she said.
Behind her in line was Herb Fishel, a retired automotive executive from Ann Arbor and current motor sports consultant. “I’m looking to complement the automotive book collection I have,” he said, adding that he hoped to find a card catalog section devoted to his interest. Fishel said he hoped to find cards detailing books “that have escaped the computerized world.”
His wife Sandy adds, “They’re a tangible artifact of a day that’s going away.”
Once the doors opened, nearly 20 customers milled around the 3-by-5.5 feet blond wood catalogs, going for $200 each.
“They’re pretty popular,” Warehouse Supervisor Steven Sinelli said as shoppers pulled out drawers, took cell-phone pictures and considered a purchase.
“A lot of (people) use them for baseball cards, nuts and bolts, and CDs. I’ve had at least 100 inquiries already. One guy said he’s going to use it as a wine rack. He said the bottles fit perfectly in those drawers.”
Keli Schneberger, with husband Shaun Smith — both alumni from Ann Arbor — said she planned to store recipes on cards. “We’ll take it to our lake house,” she said.
Heather Oleniczak, a computer programmer with the Office of Development, and friend Sue Lepril, an assistant research scientist with Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences, talked excitedly as they walk along the row of card catalogs. “It’s just a piece of history; it’s really cool,” Oleniczak said. “It would make an ideal apothecary cabinet. I love the old paper cards. I might take out the interesting ones and put them all in one drawer.”
While Lepril said a card catalog could make an interesting piece of furniture, she added, “My husband hates blond wood.” The women decided against a purchase.
In its heyday, the U-M Library card catalog represented 6.1 million volumes. The last item was added to the card catalog in 1988, and the approximately 12.5 million cards in that catalog were converted to digital form in 1989.
Now the space in the basement stacks areas in the Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library where the catalog has been housed will be converted to individual and group study space to help meet the increasing demand from the library’s million-plus visitors each year. John Everett of Ann Arbor, who said he regularly visits Property Disposition but didn’t come specifically for the card catalogs, did take a minute to examine them. “Figuring out what to do with it would be the challenge,” he said.
Alumnus Paul Fredenberg of Ann Arbor, in blue sweat pants with a block “M” on the thigh and wearing a bike helmet, walks along a row of card catalogs. “My wife and I kind of like odd things. I just bought one. Now I’ve got to figure out a way to get it out of here.”
