Library cat

Key takeaways

Library cat belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Library cat to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Library cat from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Library cats are domesticated cats that live in public libraries worldwide. The association of cats with libraries dates from at least the Middle Ages up to the present day. Bookstore cats are the same thing in bookstores. Contemporary library cats have also been featured in film and literature.

History The relationship between cats and libraries is centuries old. Monastic records from the Middle Ages indicate cats were kept in medieval monasteries in order to control rats that might otherwise eat valuable manuscripts.

Modern examples

In 1745, Russian Empress Elisabeth published an order to transport cats to her court. The descendants of these cats now live in the State Hermitage museum. During the nineteenth century, the British government compensated those libraries that housed cats, on the understanding that they kept rodents away from books. Library cats have appeared as characters in books and movies, are immortalized in stone in front of their institutions, and some are given positions on the institution's board. Many cats enjoy high-profile professional roles of marketing and public relations. The relationship between libraries and cats is at times contentious. In one case, there were attempts to remove a cat from a library based on the concerns of patrons with allergies who claimed violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Another reason considered was the library cat's reaction to service animals. When a library cat was removed from its institution in Putnam Valley, New York, the institution suffered financially. Two members of the community were so upset about the removal that they deleted from their wills bequests to the library amounting to $80,000. The Library Cat Society, a now defunct organization, was established in 1987 to encourage the establishment, respect, and recognition of library cats. The society included dozens of member libraries that exchanged information about their cats, and published a newsletter about them. Phyllis Lahti's anthology Cats, Librarians, and Libraries: Essays for and About the Library Cat Society explored this relationship. The lives of library cats were studied by Gary Roma, a documentarian who produced a film entitled Puss in Books: Adventures of the Library Cat. According to Roma's website, there are more than 800 cataloged library cats worldwide. The catalog indicates that many of them have since died. Additionally, cats are often found in independent bookstores throughout the United States.

Benefits Library cats have been used to befriend patrons, boost librarian morale, and inspire reading and literacy programs. Cats can also be useful for marketing campaigns, and are frequently used to generate publicity for their libraries, particularly on social media. The presence of a cat can create a relaxed environment and ease daily stress for patrons and librarians alike, but usually without the typically disruptive loud noises other animals (e.g., dogs) may produce. Cats' generally independent nature may also suit the intellectual environment of a library, as they are low-maintenance and may more readily suit the otherwise preoccupied intellectual personalities who frequent libraries.

Famous examples Dewey Readmore Books is perhaps the most famous library cat. He lived in Iowa's Spencer Public Library for 19 years. After his death, a book was published about him, and later a few follow-up books. White Settlement City Council voted to remove library cat Browser from White Settlement Public Library in 2016 but reversed their decision after an international backlash. Scottish Fold cats Baker and Taylor were mousers for a Nevada library. They were often found sleeping in office supply boxes and dragging shoelaces across rows of books. They became official mascots for the book-distributing brand they were named after.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Library cat

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Library cat claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Library cat before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Library cat ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Library cat

In research: Library cat appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Library cat in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Library cat is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Cats in popular culture, Library science, Mammal pest control, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Library cat outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Library cat in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Library cat means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Library cat out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Library cat in simple terms?

Library cats are domesticated cats that live in public libraries worldwide. The association of cats with libraries dates from at least the Middle Ages up to the present day.

Why does Library cat matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Library cat?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Library cat.