Card catalog trays full of 5,000 index cards in salmon, blue, green, buff, and ivory.
Acquired Brodart Colored Blank Punched Catalog Cards (shopbrodart.com)
Medium-weight colored blank punched catalog cards
blue, green, buff, ivory, white, salmon
Stocking stuffers anyone? Santa brought 6,000 index cards down the proverbial chimney today. Should have enough now to index all the books in the house? 

A library card catalog with a red Christmas stocking hanging on it with a box full of index cards next to it.

Four drawers of a library card catalog full of index cards in blue, green, buff, and ivory.

Five card catalog drawers lined up and full of ivory, buff, green, blue, and salmon index cards

A library card catalog covered in stacks of Brodart index cards.

Published by

Chris Aldrich

I'm a biomedical and electrical engineer with interests in information theory, complexity, evolution, genetics, signal processing, IndieWeb, theoretical mathematics, and big history. I'm also a talent manager-producer-publisher in the entertainment industry with expertise in representation, distribution, finance, production, content delivery, and new media.

26 thoughts on “”

  1. I catalog lots of things besides books… most libraries only used one color for most of their book cataloging, iirc

  2. I don’t know but those are highly satisfying!

    I use index cards a fair bit but for fairly random purposes. For example, I have my sewing patterns hanging on hooks and I also punch a hole in an index card and list what is on the hook – pattern name, size, things to remember when I make it, etc. I do something similar for fabric.

  3. https://preview.redd.it/eqr2weg7c78g1.jpeg?width=1008&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=511d7a1fd01859c6c53765b017cc524a7c5bc170

    I use index cards to type lunch menus and notes for my kids and spouse. (Here, I flipped the card as to minimize waste. After being typed and cut, I add a hole punch, and attach to their lunch bags, backpacks, etc.) I also use them to type something that I hope to remember. You have a card catalog, there I would have a drawr of passwords, master or spare keys (make envelopes out of the cards, or use right sized envelope, a little emergency cash, and important missives.

    Those cream colored cards are lovely, and I would send messages to a love one with some of them.

    Are you familiar with Brian Eno’s Oblique Strategies? Take inspiration from it and type out your own prompts, shuffle and use as needed.

    You need a drawer with fun affirmations. Things like: “I’m and a clever and pretty dragon” and “I am everything right in the universe!”, and, “Adventure parties summon me for help.” etc… From time to time, when needed or not, select one at random and improve your day.

    Are you creative? Do you have lots of ideas? Type out your ideas, with notes on what it means to you, start with a title, a type (writing project, art, poem, etc..) and a date. Then file it away, to clear up some head space. If it a really good idea, you’ll remember it, and get back to it when the time is right.

    I need a card catalog…. hummm. So many ideas.

  4. Love everything in these photos! Seeing this is wishful thinking fulfilment for things I shall (hopefully soon) add to my own home aesthetic. I have some favorites, like the card drawer, but most valuable of all has to be the space for 6000 books!

    Bookmarks

  • 🔖 Chris Aldrich

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