This was one of my favorite restoration projects, and I enjoyed sharing some of my own memories. I would love for you to share some of your own LIBRARY memories. Thank you for all your support and thank you EKSTER for making this video possible. Barry
I spent so much time in the library starting at the age of 2. Always checking out my favorite books to read thru the years. I really enjoy reading and this piece brought back many of those memories.
Our library (different ones throughout the years) never had a card catalog holder as nice as THAT! The podunk little towns I’ve lived in had metal ones. And Lord help you if you ever had the unfortunate chance of catching your hand or arm on the drawer.. nice cut you’d end up with. But I spent many an hour at the library just browsing.
Great job! I used the larger pieces in school libraries back in the days but I didn’t know these existed. What a blessing to have found this. I’d use one for crochet patterns! Thank you for sharing with us.
I had a crazy family life, home was not a happy place. The library was. I would stay there for hours. The card catalog was amazing. I remember one trip I came equipped with authors to check out. I was flipping through the cards, writing down the books title and location. After a bit of time one librarian approached and asked if I needed help. I thanked her but said "no found all I need". She was surprised that I knew what I was doing! I made sure to get my little girl in love with the library from a VERY early age. It must have worked. Shes the emerging technologies reference librarian in the town next to us. 💖
Libraries are my happy place ☺️ I appreciate when they’re quiet, and have comfy chairs to dig into a newly discovered treasure! I remember learning the Dewey Decimal system with cabinets like yours! The way the curved brass drawer pulls made your hands smell, the tiny pencils to write your search results with ✏️ Lovely restoration, the white oak with tiger stripes is beautiful!
Welcome back! You’re artistry has been missed. Beautiful restoration of the piece and your narrative and editing is as always exceptional! Happy Holidays!!
I’m glad you restored this and are going to use it. I remember using the card catalog when doing research for papers and reports when in college. What a memory. Thanks for sharing.
At 85 I have many memories of libraries, Carnegie and others. I started as a young teen shelving books at the local branch library. Then working in my high school library, on to the library at my college. We always had these catalogs to look up what we needed. Today I use the computer at the library to find what I'm looking for, but I still love the library! I love watching you bring all kinds of furniture back to life, this was especially poignant!
Barry this revival brought back so many memories of my days as an assistant librarian in a small country library in North Queensland Australia in the 70's. Though we didn't have this particular cabinet, we had similar Australian versions. Thanks for the remembrances.
I used those card catalogs thru college. Maybe law school. (Not much use for them there) When did they start disappearing? 1980s? 1990s? 2000s? They are such beautiful pieces. I'm going to put one on my wish list. Hope if you ever sell yours you get more than those patina preserved pieces because of the love you put into yours and the resulting beauty.❤
I'm 76 years old and have loved and used libraries all my life. I was fortunate enough to have spend the last 16 years before retirement working in our local town library. When the library switched from card catalog to a computerized system and remodeled the interior library, much of the furniture was put up for sale and I was lucky to get a 30-drawer card catalog unit with two slide out shelves!!! At home I found that it held our CD collection quite well and it is sitting proudly in our living room still. Thank you for an enjoyable video!!
Beautiful! The 1960s were my grade school years, and I used the card catalog many years. However, I've never seen a small, tabletop version before. I love the simplicity and the side panels.
I am finding that here in the South, refinishing oak pieces from the mass produced industrial age, doesn't diminish the value of the piece, sometimes it increases. If the pieces are pre-industrial aged, conservation is the better way to go. If the pieces have already been restored or overworked, the value is whatever you can get for it These pieces are the candidates for doing most anything your little heart desires.
Saving History ❤ Write a note with dates you refinished and what materials you used and repairs you made and also note the history. Tape it underside the drawer. The provenance is now also saved. 😊
As a senior citizen who grew up without computerized information and as an avid reader, I definitely have fond memories of using a card catalog. Thank you for restoring this beautiful piece.
I've been a library patron for 73 years, from age 5, and started my library career in 1962, at 17. I've used many a card catalogue like this one, and I loved seeing it restored to its original condition. 👍 I worked in several small branch libraries and in the main library of my home town in northern England. Here in Canada I ran a combined elementary junior high school library for 5 years, had a brief one year part time job in a college library, and my last position was in the reference department of the main downtown library of the city where we've lived in Alberta for the last 36 years. Libraries have been my life and I now use the online service of Libby and borrow e-books. As you might imagine we have books in every room of our home, and although I have no card catalogue I know where every book is located. It's all in the details, but the Dewey decimal system isn't necessary. Nor is the Library of Congress system. Book lovers know their books. 📚🤗 Good to see you again. 🙋
What a pretty piece! The hardware polished up so nice, it looks like jewelry. I grew up in the 70's and definitely remember using the card catalog system in our local library. Thanks for the memories!
I have always been a bookworm. As soon as I learned to read, books have always been in my life. Still today, my bedroom could be described as a library containing a bed. Books are so magical! I remember, as a teenager, this kind of index catalogs: the thrill to explore them, eager to find an interesting - and not yet read - book. For me, these furnitures were like treasure chests. There could be only dust or a unique book waiting for the reader to tell its amazing story. As a computer nerd, I am fully aware that these furnitures are no longer needed. Yet, they have been so carefully crafted, so daily useful and even loved that it’s only fair that they « do not go gentle into that good night ». I’m happy to see that one will go on existing with you. What better place could be found? Best from Brittany, France. M
Former librarian here, love your respect for the past. I’ve spent many hours with card catalogs 😂but I have to say I sure do love having computers ! Well done it’s a beautiful piece.
Lucky you to be able to restore this piece and have a piece of history to share with us. As a 73-year-old I can appreciate the method of research I used in college. But it would have been so much easier today. Good restoration, Barry!!! It's beautiful!!!!
I was blessed to use these in high school and computers in college. I didn’t start college right out of school. I wish I had! I’m 65. Started college at 50!
One thing I absolutely love doing is repurposing antique furniture. It's so cool that you now have this piece of history to keep your things in. It's so much more fun to open the drawers of an old card catalog instead of some generic piece. What a beautiful addition to your place. Seeing this brought me right back to the John Steinbeck Library, where I spent many hours. I'd walk to the library after school to do homework and look through the giant card catalogs. Now we've got the internet at our fingertips.
Barry, I really like how you do your videos. It's obvious that you have so much respect for the furniture and the story that they have to tell. I remember learning how to use the Dewy decimal system in school. I'm so glad that you were able to save this piece!
Oh my. Seventy years ago, as a six-year old in small town Ontario Canada, I could not wait to get a library card for our local library. In those days, besides being 6, your application had to be signed by a homeowner, i.e. taxpayer. My parents were tenants, as were many in the 1950s; fortunately, my aunt signed for me. Many wonderful hours spent there. After university I became - guess what? - a university librarian. No card catalogues after a few years, but lots of connectivity and technology. My small town building is of the typical Carnegie architecture, and still operating today. Thanks for this reminder
What a terrific old chest! ❤ Brings back memories of when I was about 13 - I can recall the scent of “library” !!! 🥰📚📖 I have always been a bookworm. I’m easily frightened/intimidated by people, and most of my life, books have been my refuge. I worked at the Jr High School library in the mornings since the school bus dropped me off early mornings. I helped the senior aged lady librarian, and it helped me because I felt safe there. This was in the early 1960’s, in a southern state of the USA.
I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this video. As someone who used this system for many many years I truly appreciate what a wonderful job you did on this piece. Thank you for this video and the commentary. You brought back many memories for me. I’m glad you’re keeping this piece, I can tell it was a labor of love for you. That brass, wow! I can’t wait until you tackle that big gray beast. Thank you so much for this video, it’s my fave.
Thanks for a trip down the memory lane of my university years! The card catalogue in the main library was a cavernous stained-window room, seemingly endless with thousands of cabinets and millions of cards. Good luck finding the one book you need for your term paper! To this day, the mixed odor of old wood and moldy paper evokes thoughts of my youthful days. Bless the advent of computer catalogues!
This is one of my very favorites of your projects. It is the kind of piece I would love to have in my own workshop. I am an artist working in very fine porcelains and other fine materials that I use many cabinets and drawers to store supplies in my studio, so a piece like your card Catalogue would really compliment my workshop. As you always do, this one is a gorgeous result.
That turned out beautifully, Barry! Due to the compromised original finish, refinishing it was the best way to preserve it, for every day use. As for the brass hardware, I would've had to leave the old patina on that. Even with a new finish on the wood, if the old patina was left on the brass, it would still retain the look of its age better. It is a phenomenal piece, and you did a phenomenal job with it!
hi Barry, I sure missed you. It has been such a long time since you had a video. I love what you did with this piece. It never gets boring to listen to your knowledge. Thanks for entertaining us.
Another beautiful and informative restoration. It reminded me of how old I am to realize there are people who never used a card catalog! I love your videos. Please keep them coming.
Thank you for this project. My use of the Dewey system goes back to the 1960’s and 70’s and because of it I expanded my knowledge base more than traditional schooling. Your work on that catalogue piece CELEBRATES the libraries, librarians and craftsmen really well. Again Thank you.
Beautiful work! I remember using the card catalog when I was little. I’m now a librarian at a public library and people still ask about the card catalog 😍
Thar quarter-sawn oak is gorgeous. I roll my eyes when I hear somebody say oak is ugly & needs to be slathered in black, white, or sage green to make it this week's version of "modern."
Hi Barry, I was just thinking of you this morning. Wondering about a video. Here you are. A premonition on my part, perhaps 😊. Yes indeed I used them In the public library in my hometown growing up. The year of the library on the building is , if I remember correctly was 1908. It’s still standing. Of course, a new modern building was added on to it. The old section is used now for historical pieces. Awesome, awesome job . Looks so beautiful. Glad you saved it. Joyce❤️🙏🇺🇸
Aloha, Barry! My mind went back to a day in elementary school when I stood at our school library's card catalogue, opened a drawer and pulled out the card to locate a book. If my memory still serves me, it was either one of E E Milne's "Winne the Pooh" books, or Marguerite Henry's "Misty of Chincoteague". Mahalo Nui for the walk down memory lane! 📚
Boy, did that bring back memories! Going to the library (Hinkley Memorial Library) on Saturday mornings or after school. Sitting in the reading room with Popular Mechanics, or searching the card catalog for biographies ( my favorite as a boy).
Think of all of the hands that have pulled open those drawers over the years! My childhood library was located in Fort Atkinson - not far from Watertown. I have wonderful memories of the Childrens' Librarian, Miss Kate.
Bonjour d'Occitanie (France) Merci pour cette vidéo et moment d'histoire. Les fiches des bibliothèques, donnaient toutes les indications et même celles du prêt. C'est bien plus agréable de regarder le bibliothécaire chercher dans ce petit meuble que de le voir chercher sur l'ordinateur. Le résultat pour cette petite rénovation est très jolie.
Let’s not forget that at the time these libraries were built, many people were illiterate, or semiliterate. These libraries were not only beautifully built, but promoted democratic principles. A literate population is an informed population. Have we lost that value today, a little bit? Some advocate closing libraries.
Wow Barry, you brought back so many memories. I always loved spending time in the library as a child and continued through my college years. Your videos are always so relaxing, entertaining and informative. You are a favorite.
Cannot fault your job, it looks beautiful but it totally ruined its value for me as a collector. I would have purchased it in both conditions but would 100% pay more before it was touched. I feel like crying every time i see people "fix" furniture that aint broken.
yeah, for this one it wasn't about the money. doesn't really matter if it is worth $200 or $500. this is now a piece that has enough of a protective finish to continue using daily. i do appreciate your feedback. the problem with collectors sometimes, is that their collections end up collecting dust in the basement for many years. not suggesting that's you, but you know what i mean.
It looks amazing!! I remember when going to the library was exciting! After church on Sundays we would go to the library which opened at noon after church was over. I loved to read, the smell of books, and the confusing but useful card catalog. I am glad you were able to get this piece.
I just purchased a Library Bureau Sole Makers cabinet at an estate sale a few weeks ago and debated about refinishing it or leaving it as-is. Thank you for showing your process and for preserving an important part of library history. I think this is my favorite project of yours.
Thanks so much for this Barry. It brought back memories of the small library here in the UK I used as a child, I felt as though I could smell that unique smell again…some 45 years later!
It makes me sad to know that a piece of my childhood will be lost to history. Thanks so much for keeping a small bit of that memory alive. I have very fond memories of studying in the "stacks" at the Memorial Library on the Madison campus. I wonder if they still have the "cages" up there where you could study for hours and not hear another human being.
I miss going to the library. It was always an adventure. Going through the card catalogues without any specific book in mind but looking for a title that would seem interesting. Then once you found something you liked you would either have to remember the numbers of the location or write it down on one of the little pieces of scrap paper they always kept close to the card cabinets. Then the adventure of actually tracking it down through what felt like ancient corridors of the secret Vatican library. Books upon book and looking at the shelves for the matching numbers. Then once you found the right column you had to find the right numbered shelf. Then the right numbered book. THEN once you finally track down that one book you were looking for you practically forgot all about it because of all the other cool books in the general area. It was like an epic scavenger hunt for sacred hidden knowledge or another key in book form to a whole other world of even more adventures. For a kid in the 80s and 90s it was absolutely epic lol.
Used to work in a library years ago that had these card catalogs, they were great then. Actually about the only way to do inventory on the books and keep track of what we had available. I love these old cabinets with all their little drawers and lots of storage space included. Now I do doll house miniatures and I store all my small hinges, door handles, and such in them. Thanks for sharing and you have a great day. Happy Holidays to you and yours
In general I believe in retaining the old finish if possible. As it was sanded it looks like it really was in worse shape than it looked at first. In any case the final outcome was gorgeous The card catalogs I remember were all MCM. For whatever reason a lot of schools were built or redone in the 60’s in this area and so were the libraries.
great feedback. it is my understanding that many places were redone when metal became more common. so much of the wood furniture was considered a fire hazard and removed
GREAT JOB BARRY! You have a heart of a teacher, and I love your stories and history lessons of the things that accompany us through our lives. You make them come alive, just once more. And that is important. I'm so glad we have this and a few other channels like yours. It's a very elegant presentation. In today's World, that's needed. Happy Holidays from Chicago!
Glad you are restoring a library card catalog drawers. Perhaps you took out the rods that hold the catalog cards in place, the holes in the front are empty. It might nice to have a rod for one of drawers and cards with recipes, addresses whatever, to show how the card catalog drawers worked.
Thanks Barry, I grew up with a Carnegie Library in Dunedin, New Zealand. When I moved to Suva, Fiji, I found one there too. Such an amazing gift to the world. I used to hand write or type out catalogue cards at a school I did work experience at. Precise work! Love this refinishing job. Well done.
I’ll be 59 this Christmas. So I remember very well learning how to file in school. It was a privilege to be asked my our librarian to help her during your study hall to get the files re organized before Christmas break. So many things from days past that I’m so happy I was able to learn. Cursive writing for sure. This desk you restained is such a beautiful piece for many reasons as you mentioned. History is wonderful and you now have several to cherish. Thank you for sharing and your educational teachings ❤️
Hi Barry. Hope all is good with you and your family. We have not been seeing you post much this year. This piece brings back memories for me as I used to work in the library part time. I used to make up all the labels for the new books that were purchased and catalogue them all. this was in the early 80's. We did everything by hand back then. No computers in our library. I lived in a small town, so it took a bit for us to catch up, lol. I miss this system though. It was so easy to use. I hope you keep this one and slide her in next to the beautiful desk. Thanks for sharing this lucky find. 😍
Ever week in the summer as children, my mom would take myself and my brother to library and let us spend hours roaming through the books and let our imaginations go. Grateful that she gave us that experience
@@MadCityModern thank you for sharing with us during each of your projects. Watching your brings make the nostalgia from my youth and I am very appreciative of that. Happy Holidays to you and yours during this season.
This was one of my favorite restoration projects, and I enjoyed sharing some of my own memories. I would love for you to share some of your own LIBRARY memories. Thank you for all your support and thank you EKSTER for making this video possible. Barry
I spent so much time in the library starting at the age of 2. Always checking out my favorite books to read thru the years. I really enjoy reading and this piece brought back many of those memories.
Our library (different ones throughout the years) never had a card catalog holder as nice as THAT! The podunk little towns I’ve lived in had metal ones. And Lord help you if you ever had the unfortunate chance of catching your hand or arm on the drawer.. nice cut you’d end up with. But I spent many an hour at the library just browsing.
Great job! I used the larger pieces in school libraries back in the days but I didn’t know these existed. What a blessing to have found this. I’d use one for crochet patterns! Thank you for sharing with us.
I had a crazy family life, home was not a happy place. The library was. I would stay there for hours. The card catalog was amazing. I remember one trip I came equipped with authors to check out. I was flipping through the cards, writing down the books title and location. After a bit of time one librarian approached and asked if I needed help. I thanked her but said "no found all I need". She was surprised that I knew what I was doing! I made sure to get my little girl in love with the library from a VERY early age. It must have worked. Shes the emerging technologies reference librarian in the town next to us. 💖
Libraries are my happy place ☺️ I appreciate when they’re quiet, and have comfy chairs to dig into a newly discovered treasure!
I remember learning the Dewey Decimal system with cabinets like yours! The way the curved brass drawer pulls made your hands smell, the tiny pencils to write your search results with ✏️
Lovely restoration, the white oak with tiger stripes is beautiful!
Welcome back! You’re artistry has been missed. Beautiful restoration of the piece and your narrative and editing is as always exceptional! Happy Holidays!!
thank you so much! Happy Holidays
I lived in Verona and Mount Horeb, WI from 1990-2003. Best years of my life. I watch these and get warm happy feelings.
wonderful place!
I remember card catalogs in librarys . It looks great again.
thank you
I love to see someone caring to give a second life to old furniture that most people would throw away, well done ! Great attention to details.
I’m glad you restored this and are going to use it. I remember using the card catalog when doing research for papers and reports when in college. What a memory. Thanks for sharing.
thank you so much
At 85 I have many memories of libraries, Carnegie and others. I started as a young teen shelving books at the local branch library. Then working in my high school library, on to the library at my college. We always had these catalogs to look up what we needed. Today I use the computer at the library to find what I'm looking for, but I still love the library! I love watching you bring all kinds of furniture back to life, this was especially poignant!
i really enjoyed this comment. thank you
Thanks for your loving restoration and little glimpses of the past
Thanks for watching!
I enjoyed watching you restore this, especially the brass. You are brilliant! Thank you,
thank you
Anither beautiful restoration Barry. Thanks for sharing your memories of libraries. One of my favourite places as a child.
thank you!
Barry this revival brought back so many memories of my days as an assistant librarian in a small country library in North Queensland Australia in the 70's. Though we didn't have this particular cabinet, we had similar Australian versions. Thanks for the remembrances.
I used those card catalogs thru college. Maybe law school. (Not much use for them there) When did they start disappearing? 1980s? 1990s? 2000s? They are such beautiful pieces. I'm going to put one on my wish list. Hope if you ever sell yours you get more than those patina preserved pieces because of the love you put into yours and the resulting beauty.❤
I'm 76 years old and have loved and used libraries all my life. I was fortunate enough to have spend the last 16 years before retirement working in our local town library. When the library switched from card catalog to a computerized system and remodeled the interior library, much of the furniture was put up for sale and I was lucky to get a 30-drawer card catalog unit with two slide out shelves!!! At home I found that it held our CD collection quite well and it is sitting proudly in our living room still. Thank you for an enjoyable video!!
Beautiful! The 1960s were my grade school years, and I used the card catalog many years. However, I've never seen a small, tabletop version before. I love the simplicity and the side panels.
Absolutely beautiful restoration!!;
thank you
I am finding that here in the South, refinishing oak pieces from the mass produced industrial age, doesn't diminish the value of the piece, sometimes it increases. If the pieces are pre-industrial aged, conservation is the better way to go.
If the pieces have already been restored or overworked, the value is whatever you can get for it These pieces are the candidates for doing most anything your little heart desires.
one of my favorite comments!
Just beautiful work and a stunning piece. You really did take me back to my childhood and using the Dewey Decimal System. That was lovely.
We love tiger oak, we have several pieces.
Stunning! What a great find
thank you
Wondrerful job on this beautiful piece of history.
Thank you! for using "moreso" correctly. There are very few youtubers who seem to do so😅
Wow. Thank you
Restaurado catálogo de fichas da biblioteca 😉
thank you
Hello Barry, this was a lovely little piece to restore. Your attention to detail is second to none as always. Natalie 😊
thank you Natalie!
La restauración, perfecta.
El mueble es muy práctico ❤
Saludos desde ANDALUCÍA ESPAÑA 😉
Stunning
Great job!
Saving History ❤ Write a note with dates you refinished and what materials you used and repairs you made and also note the history. Tape it underside the drawer. The provenance is now also saved. 😊
excellent suggestion
When you first started to put on the stain I was like No it’s to dark !!! Boy was I wrong, absolutely a beautiful finish color. The piece is stunning.
i was also afraid it would be too dark!
As a senior citizen who grew up without computerized information and as an avid reader, I definitely have fond memories of using a card catalog. Thank you for restoring this beautiful piece.
thank you for sharing this
I've been a library patron for 73 years, from age 5, and started my library career in 1962, at 17. I've used many a card catalogue like this one, and I loved seeing it restored to its original condition. 👍
I worked in several small branch libraries and in the main library of my home town in northern England.
Here in Canada I ran a combined elementary junior high school library for 5 years, had a brief one year part time job in a college library, and my last position was in the reference department of the main downtown library of the city where we've lived in Alberta for the last 36 years.
Libraries have been my life and I now use the online service of Libby and borrow e-books.
As you might imagine we have books in every room of our home, and although I have no card catalogue I know where every book is located.
It's all in the details, but the Dewey decimal system isn't necessary. Nor is the Library of Congress system. Book lovers know their books. 📚🤗 Good to see you again. 🙋
What a pretty piece! The hardware polished up so nice, it looks like jewelry. I grew up in the 70's and definitely remember using the card catalog system in our local library. Thanks for the memories!
thank you so much
I have always been a bookworm. As soon as I learned to read, books have always been in my life. Still today, my bedroom could be described as a library containing a bed. Books are so magical!
I remember, as a teenager, this kind of index catalogs: the thrill to explore them, eager to find an interesting - and not yet read - book. For me, these furnitures were like treasure chests. There could be only dust or a unique book waiting for the reader to tell its amazing story.
As a computer nerd, I am fully aware that these furnitures are no longer needed. Yet, they have been so carefully crafted, so daily useful and even loved that it’s only fair that they « do not go gentle into that good night ».
I’m happy to see that one will go on existing with you. What better place could be found?
Best from Brittany, France. M
thank you for sharing this from France!
Former librarian here, love your respect for the past. I’ve spent many hours with card catalogs 😂but I have to say I sure do love having computers ! Well done it’s a beautiful piece.
Lucky you to be able to restore this piece and have a piece of history to share with us. As a 73-year-old I can appreciate the method of research I used in college. But it would have been so much easier today. Good restoration, Barry!!! It's beautiful!!!!
This 50 year old also remembers using this system from grade school through college and even with my young children. It turned out beautifully.
thank you so much for this
I was blessed to use these in high school and computers in college. I didn’t start college right out of school. I wish I had! I’m 65. Started college at 50!
I was just sitting here thinking I needed a new mad city modern video!
ME TOO!!!
made me smile
One thing I absolutely love doing is repurposing antique furniture. It's so cool that you now have this piece of history to keep your things in. It's so much more fun to open the drawers of an old card catalog instead of some generic piece. What a beautiful addition to your place.
Seeing this brought me right back to the John Steinbeck Library, where I spent many hours. I'd walk to the library after school to do homework and look through the giant card catalogs. Now we've got the internet at our fingertips.
Barry, I really like how you do your videos. It's obvious that you have so much respect for the furniture and the story that they have to tell. I remember learning how to use the Dewy decimal system in school. I'm so glad that you were able to save this piece!
thank you for this comment!
Oh my. Seventy years ago, as a six-year old in small town Ontario Canada, I could not wait to get a library card for our local library. In those days, besides being 6, your application had to be signed by a homeowner, i.e. taxpayer. My parents were tenants, as were many in the 1950s; fortunately, my aunt signed for me. Many wonderful hours spent there. After university I became - guess what? - a university librarian. No card catalogues after a few years, but lots of connectivity and technology. My small town building is of the typical Carnegie architecture, and still operating today. Thanks for this reminder
such great feedback!
What a beautiful piece of furniture - a great piece if history saved. You did an excellent job on it - it looks brilliant. Take care 🙂
thank you so much
What a terrific old chest! ❤
Brings back memories of when I was about 13 - I can recall the scent of “library” !!! 🥰📚📖
I have always been a bookworm. I’m easily frightened/intimidated by people, and most of my life, books have been my refuge. I worked at the Jr High School library in the mornings since the school bus dropped me off early mornings. I helped the senior aged lady librarian, and it helped me because I felt safe there. This was in the early 1960’s, in a southern state of the USA.
thank you for sharing these memories!
I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this video. As someone who used this system for many many years I truly appreciate what a wonderful job you did on this piece. Thank you for this video and the commentary. You brought back many memories for me. I’m glad you’re keeping this piece, I can tell it was a labor of love for you. That brass, wow! I can’t wait until you tackle that big gray beast. Thank you so much for this video, it’s my fave.
Thanks for a trip down the memory lane of my university years! The card catalogue in the main library was a cavernous stained-window room, seemingly endless with thousands of cabinets and millions of cards. Good luck finding the one book you need for your term paper! To this day, the mixed odor of old wood and moldy paper evokes thoughts of my youthful days.
Bless the advent of computer catalogues!
this comment was great!
This is one of my very favorites of your projects. It is the kind of piece I would love to have in my own workshop. I am an artist working in very fine porcelains and other fine materials that I use many cabinets and drawers to store supplies in my studio, so a piece like your card Catalogue would really compliment my workshop. As you always do, this one is a gorgeous result.
I love this feedback
That’s a great piece. Between the local library and my school library I used the Dewey decimal system often
great feedback!
That tiger oak is absolutely beautiful. Amazing restoration! We may not use card catalogs anymore, but this one will live on.
thank you!
That turned out beautifully, Barry! Due to the compromised original finish, refinishing it was the best way to preserve it, for every day use. As for the brass hardware, I would've had to leave the old patina on that. Even with a new finish on the wood, if the old patina was left on the brass, it would still retain the look of its age better. It is a phenomenal piece, and you did a phenomenal job with it!
excellent feedback. i don't even disagree with you. the nice part is, the brass will tarnish naturally once again with daily use
Beautiful job Barry. Love the history you provide.❤️
thank you
Such a beautiful piece of history!!
thank you
hi Barry, I sure missed you. It has been such a long time since you had a video. I love what you did with this piece. It never gets boring to listen to your knowledge. Thanks for entertaining us.
thank you so much. i will have more content very soon
Another beautiful and informative restoration. It reminded me of how old I am to realize there are people who never used a card catalog! I love your videos. Please keep them coming.
thank you so much
Oh Barry. That refinishing was SPECTACULAR! Well done Sir, well done👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
The BRASS is STUNNING!
thank you!
Thank you for this project. My use of the Dewey system goes back to the 1960’s and 70’s and because of it I expanded my knowledge base more than traditional schooling. Your work on that catalogue piece CELEBRATES the libraries, librarians and craftsmen really well. Again Thank you.
Beautiful work! I remember using the card catalog when I was little. I’m now a librarian at a public library and people still ask about the card catalog 😍
that's incredible!
In addition to this beautiful restoration, you are a wonderful filmmaker/editor.
Thanks for sharing ;)
i really appreciate this
Thar quarter-sawn oak is gorgeous. I roll my eyes when I hear somebody say oak is ugly & needs to be slathered in black, white, or sage green to make it this week's version of "modern."
completely agree!
Barry, this is beautiful!!
thank you
OMGosh! I just LOVE card catalogs. You did this one beautifully.
Thank you so much!
Whenever I’m having a bad day, I watch one of your videos. Outstanding as always. Merry Christmas from 🇨🇦.
this really made me smile
Awesome refinishing of a beautiful piece. Love your historical stories. I always learn from your videos. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you very much!
Looks incredible! I grew up when the card catalogs were still in use. Thanks for the stroll down Memory Lane!
new card catalog video was just released
Hi Barry, I was just thinking of you this morning. Wondering about a video. Here you are. A premonition on my part, perhaps 😊. Yes indeed I used them In the public library in my hometown growing up. The year of the library on the building is , if I remember correctly was 1908. It’s still standing. Of course, a new modern building was added on to it. The old section is used now for historical pieces. Awesome, awesome job . Looks so beautiful. Glad you saved it. Joyce❤️🙏🇺🇸
Hi Joyce. Thank you for sharing this! Happy Holidays!
This video brought back memories of when life was so much simpler. Thank you for sharing.❤️
yes
Looks like that cabinet was still in use till relatively recently. $0.37 was the first class postal rate in 2002.
Beautiful redux Barry.
Awesome feedback. I was wondering
Oh dear! What an outstanding piece of furniture. Thank you for sharing this.
I remember this kind of catalogue 😊
thank you
Well Barry another beautiful fantastic piece well done🎉 hope you have a fantastic holiday season❤ sending you warm wishes from Florida.
thank you Neil!
Aloha, Barry! My mind went back to a day in elementary school when I stood at our school library's card catalogue, opened a drawer and pulled out the card to locate a book. If my memory still serves me, it was either one of E E Milne's "Winne the Pooh" books, or Marguerite Henry's "Misty of Chincoteague". Mahalo Nui for the walk down memory lane! 📚
love this memory! thank you
Boy, did that bring back memories! Going to the library (Hinkley Memorial Library) on Saturday mornings or after school. Sitting in the reading room with Popular Mechanics, or searching the card catalog for biographies ( my favorite as a boy).
these were also my favorites to search for!
Think of all of the hands that have pulled open those drawers over the years! My childhood library was located in Fort Atkinson - not far from Watertown. I have wonderful memories of the Childrens' Librarian, Miss Kate.
Wow. Awesome. I even showed the one in Jefferson. I had just been to Fort Atkinson
Wow, what a beautiful piece! You made it justice with the way you refinished it! Much love from Greece and happy holidays!
Happy holidays!
Bonjour d'Occitanie (France)
Merci pour cette vidéo et moment d'histoire.
Les fiches des bibliothèques, donnaient toutes les indications et même celles du prêt. C'est bien plus agréable de regarder le bibliothécaire chercher dans ce petit meuble que de le voir chercher sur l'ordinateur.
Le résultat pour cette petite rénovation est très jolie.
thank you so much for this
Let’s not forget that at the time these libraries were built, many people were illiterate, or semiliterate. These libraries were not only beautifully built, but promoted democratic principles. A literate population is an informed population. Have we lost that value today, a little bit? Some advocate closing libraries.
I love this feedback
Wow Barry, you brought back so many memories. I always loved spending time in the library as a child and continued through my college years. Your videos are always so relaxing, entertaining and informative. You are a favorite.
so glad you enjoyed this one
Cannot fault your job, it looks beautiful but it totally ruined its value for me as a collector. I would have purchased it in both conditions but would 100% pay more before it was touched. I feel like crying every time i see people "fix" furniture that aint broken.
yeah, for this one it wasn't about the money. doesn't really matter if it is worth $200 or $500. this is now a piece that has enough of a protective finish to continue using daily. i do appreciate your feedback. the problem with collectors sometimes, is that their collections end up collecting dust in the basement for many years. not suggesting that's you, but you know what i mean.
It looks amazing!! I remember when going to the library was exciting! After church on Sundays we would go to the library which opened at noon after church was over. I loved to read, the smell of books, and the confusing but useful card catalog. I am glad you were able to get this piece.
thank you for sharing these memories!
I just purchased a Library Bureau Sole Makers cabinet at an estate sale a few weeks ago and debated about refinishing it or leaving it as-is. Thank you for showing your process and for preserving an important part of library history. I think this is my favorite project of yours.
awesome! would love to see it
God bless the good old Dewey Decimal System ❤ ! It was the key to all the world’s knowledge and information and entertainment. 🤩😍
Well said!
Thanks so much for this Barry. It brought back memories of the small library here in the UK I used as a child, I felt as though I could smell that unique smell again…some 45 years later!
love this!
My hometown of Eureka, California, had a Carnegie library.
it was so fun to see the list of libraries
It makes me sad to know that a piece of my childhood will be lost to history. Thanks so much for keeping a small bit of that memory alive. I have very fond memories of studying in the "stacks" at the Memorial Library on the Madison campus. I wonder if they still have the "cages" up there where you could study for hours and not hear another human being.
i considered visiting there for this video
I miss going to the library. It was always an adventure. Going through the card catalogues without any specific book in mind but looking for a title that would seem interesting. Then once you found something you liked you would either have to remember the numbers of the location or write it down on one of the little pieces of scrap paper they always kept close to the card cabinets. Then the adventure of actually tracking it down through what felt like ancient corridors of the secret Vatican library. Books upon book and looking at the shelves for the matching numbers. Then once you found the right column you had to find the right numbered shelf. Then the right numbered book. THEN once you finally track down that one book you were looking for you practically forgot all about it because of all the other cool books in the general area. It was like an epic scavenger hunt for sacred hidden knowledge or another key in book form to a whole other world of even more adventures. For a kid in the 80s and 90s it was absolutely epic lol.
such a great memory! my memories are similar!
I learnerd about the libraryy system with the Dewey Decimal System, thank you
me too
Loved this restore. Always loved the old card catalogs that were in the library. Before everything went digital.
me too
Used to work in a library years ago that had these card catalogs, they were great then. Actually about the only way to do inventory on the books and keep track of what we had available. I love these old cabinets with all their little drawers and lots of storage space included. Now I do doll house miniatures and I store all my small hinges, door handles, and such in them. Thanks for sharing and you have a great day. Happy Holidays to you and yours
love this comment!
Wow! That’s all I can say so thankful I found your channel! Wow
Welcome to the channel! Barry
just exquisite ! I love watching you work
Thank you! Cheers!
In general I believe in retaining the old finish if possible. As it was sanded it looks like it really was in worse shape than it looked at first. In any case the final outcome was gorgeous
The card catalogs I remember were all MCM. For whatever reason a lot of schools were built or redone in the 60’s in this area and so were the libraries.
great feedback. it is my understanding that many places were redone when metal became more common. so much of the wood furniture was considered a fire hazard and removed
Ah yes, I remember these well. Beautiful job on this piece!
Thanks for listening
GREAT JOB BARRY! You have a heart of a teacher, and I love your stories and history lessons of the things that accompany us through our lives. You make them come alive, just once more. And that is important.
I'm so glad we have this and a few other channels like yours. It's a very elegant presentation. In today's World, that's needed. Happy Holidays from Chicago!
this means so much! Thank you
I agree whole heartily. I love hearing about your experiences and the history of all the pieces you restore. Give a wonderful insight to it history.
Glad you are restoring a library card catalog drawers. Perhaps you took out the rods that hold the catalog cards in place, the holes in the front are empty. It might nice to have a rod for one of drawers and cards with recipes, addresses whatever, to show how the card catalog drawers worked.
such great feedback. the larger one i have was used for recipes for a long time
Lovely job. And the grain in that wood is fantastic.
thank you
Well done, love the wood grain. I remember using card catalog as well.
Thank you! Cheers!
Beautiful piece; sweet memories of good books read.
Thanks for listening
Thanks Barry, I grew up with a Carnegie Library in Dunedin, New Zealand. When I moved to Suva, Fiji, I found one there too. Such an amazing gift to the world. I used to hand write or type out catalogue cards at a school I did work experience at. Precise work! Love this refinishing job. Well done.
this is awesome. i almost mentioned the one in Fiji!
@@MadCityModern kinda wish you had 🙂
congrats on finding such a treasure. you did a fine job restoring it
thank you so much
Was that The Shawshank Redemption? 😁
yes
I’ll be 59 this Christmas. So I remember very well learning how to file in school. It was a privilege to be asked my our librarian to help her during your study hall to get the files re organized before Christmas break. So many things from days past that I’m so happy I was able to learn. Cursive writing for sure. This desk you restained is such a beautiful piece for many reasons as you mentioned. History is wonderful and you now have several to cherish. Thank you for sharing and your educational teachings ❤️
loved reading this comment
Beautiful!! precious. mahalo
You are so kind
Hi Barry. Hope all is good with you and your family. We have not been seeing you post much this year.
This piece brings back memories for me as I used to work in the library part time. I used to make up all the labels for the new books that were purchased and catalogue them all. this was in the early 80's. We did everything by hand back then. No computers in our library. I lived in a small town, so it took a bit for us to catch up, lol. I miss this system though. It was so easy to use. I hope you keep this one and slide her in next to the beautiful desk. Thanks for sharing this lucky find. 😍
hi Wendy! I will be back with more content very soon!
@@MadCityModern good to hear! Love your stories while working on the pieces!
Beautiful work!! As always 😉
thank you
Ever week in the summer as children, my mom would take myself and my brother to library and let us spend hours roaming through the books and let our imaginations go. Grateful that she gave us that experience
thank you for this
@@MadCityModern thank you for sharing with us during each of your projects. Watching your brings make the nostalgia from my youth and I am very appreciative of that. Happy Holidays to you and yours during this season.