The cARTalog grows from the empty drawers of the University of Iowa Libraries’ main card catalog, which was retired in 2004. A small community of library staff—motivated by both nostalgia and library subculture-- has come together to give the card catalog cards themselves a rebirth, in order to celebrate the role of this honorific icon within the world of libraries as well as the UI Libraries’ sesquicentennial. Project organizers were able to salvage approximately only one quarter of the UI’s card catalog for the cARTalog project; the remaining cards were hauled away to recycling. The UI Libraries is only one of several libraries that have sought to honor the waning card catalog with a lasting monument or ceremony.

• librarians
• artists (sculpture, mail art, book art, calligraphers,
• photographers)
• educators & students (K-12, college, graduate level)
• musicians
• chefs
• historians
• story tellers

The active members of cARTalog are organizing larger scale projects, including:

• cardART in the schools (Iowa City community school district)
• Mail Art projects
• an exhibition of cARTalog projects at the UI Libraries
• permanent card catalog art installation
• a web page documenting the history of card catalogs and the cARTalog project

You can get involved by participating in one of the above projects, or by creating your own. Projects could develop out of using a group of cards or simply one. You can respond to the cards format (size and material) or content (book title, subject words, author). You can submit and donate your piece to the cARTalog project for it’s growing collection OR, if you choose to keep your card catalog piece, we ask that you provide us with documentation (written and photographic if possible) so that we can document and credit your participation.

Ready to begin? Open the catalog drawer and go!