Norwell Public Library has an old card catalog cabinet that is used to hold seed packets for a seed-lending program. Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff/Globe Staff ...

HAYWARD — City librarians have found a new purpose for those old card catalog cabinets, a throwback to the days before computers began helping patrons locate books — which they are checking ...

Card catalog cabinets have also been used as convenient sort-and-store devices for scarves, jewelry, flatware, tools and hardware, art supplies — and just about anything else that fits within a ...

Since the card catalog cabinet reopened its drawers in mid-March new crowds, likely inspired by a pandemic-related uptick in home gardening, have come to check out seeds.

Hence more than one person could use the catalog at any time. This was important, as most libraries had only a single set of cards available to the public. This particular cabinet was used for the ...

It’s a small table with three old-style card-catalog cabinets, with drawers numbered 1 to 27. Inside, librarians have hand-filled tiny brown paper envelopes with seeds.

We went inside the school library. Off to one side there was a display depicting the history of libraries. It was a large oak card catalog cabinet with dozens of drawers. Do you remember those?

Card catalogs were once constant fixtures in libraries, but just recently on a trip to a craft store with my daughter, I found that card catalog cabinets are now rustic décor pieces.

To come up with their own design, Clifford borrowed a card catalog cabinet from the Pomona Library a couple of years back.