I’ve always liked library card catalogs – the old wooden ones with dozens of tiny drawers. Something about the grid or all the little nooks and crannies appealed to me. As a kid, my parents had a wooden filing cabinet, previously used to hold criminal records and fingerprint files, that they had bought at a police auction; it still had a number of old mugshots in it when we brought it home, and I guess the promise of hidden treasure is another reason I like these types of items.
If my house wasn’t already crowded with furniture, I’d seriously think about picking up one (or more) of these:
- 15-drawer oak ($60) and two 10-drawer pine ($10 each) card files in Sacramento
- enormous 90-drawer wooden card catalog from Seattle’s Ballard High School; bookshelves on back ($300) near Seattle
- pretty solid oak 60-drawer & pull-out shelf card file in New Jersey ($495)
- three-unit large-drawer library file cabinet in New Hampshire ($125)
- big beautiful 6-drawer oak card file in Minneapolis ($100)
- 1950s 60-drawer file in Atlanta ($300)
- 45-drawer cabinet with brass pulls in Raleigh ($225)
- huge 120-drawer cabinet with shelves in Phoenix ($400)
and here are a few on ebay
- little six-drawer card file in Scarsdale
- 60-drawer standing unit in Easton, Pennsylvania
- early 20th-century 24-drawer oak & ash cabinet in New Orleans
- big mid-century 60-drawer unit with shelves in Reynoldsburg, Ohio
- wide, 15-drawer tabletop unit in Kensington, Connecticut
- one of several 60-drawer units in Eugene, Oregon (see the others on the buyer’s page; this style is also offered)
- 30-drawer unit in Hughesville, Pennsylvania
One thing I’ve noticed is that even the starting bids on Ebay are far higher than what folks selling via craigslist hope to get. Part of that is that Craigslisters want to sell to locals – they won’t deal with shipping, and don’t bother asking – and some of the Ebayers are willing to crate & ship. Another, something borne out by my own experience, is that people who use community sites like Craigslist are simply less predatory than vendors on Craigslist.
Cabinet Hardware
Research cabinet hardware manufacturers. Kitchen Cabinets, Kitchen c
I am a scholar reliant on index cards for a book I am writing and I need to purchase a good 60-drawer wooden library card catalogue. Can you advise where I can get one? I am in New York City.
Thanks.
Edward Short
eshort11102@aol.com
I am co-librarian at a small, public, distinguished elementary school in Northern California. We have a wonderful array of books for our children, but we are still doing things the old fashioned way — no computer. We actually prefer it that way, but we have run out of room in our small 16 drawer card catalog. We are having a very difficult time finding one. We don’t have much a budget, but if we could get our hands on one, we would scrape together what we could. If you know of one we might obtain, we (and our 80 children) would be grateful. We could travel a ways to pick up, if necessary.
Thank you,
Tara McLarty
King’s Mountain Elementary School
Woodside, CA
tmclarty3@comcast.net
I have a 30 drawer library cabinet for sale if anybody is interested, I am in toronto, frayedknot@rogers.com
As of Feb 15, 2010, I have several antique and vintage library card catalogs for sale from a prestigious Ivy League school in CT. Contact me at 315Whitney@gmail.com for details.
Do you still have any library card catalogs for sale?
Sorry,I’ve sent the e-mail to the wrong address.
Do you still have ani library card catalog files for sale?
I’m also looking for an old library card catalog file. I’m in Sacramento! Does anyone know of a place I could get one?
Thanks!!
Emily
ewilder@sflighthouse.com
I’m looking for a wooden card catalog for my wedding. Table top or free standing. Any ideas?
Thanks,
kristygale@gmail.com
I am looking for more information about the “big beautiful6 dr oak card file in Minneapolis ($100)
Hi Elaine,
I understand this post is now almost 4 years old – my apologies! Is it safe to assume you no longer have this cabinet?
-SJ