Of Memory
Artist
Lynne Yamamoto
MediumPolyester resin fiberglass
Dimensions44 x 170 x 6 in. (111.8 x 431.8 x 15.2 cm)
ClassificationsSculpture
Credit LineLibraries for All Bond 1% for Art funds
Description: The artwork consists of five casts made from a set of card files that were saved from the Temporary Central Library. The card files are an article of furniture that has been rendered obsolete by computerized cataloging. However, some of the information recorded on these cards has never entered the on-line catalog, either because there was no category for it in the database or the notation was too idiosyncratic. Thus, much of this information would be lost without the original cards. As a result, squirreled away in several parts of the new Central Library, are the beloved card files. They continue to be useful to librarians and users. The handwritten notes on these cards are personal traces of librarians past and present.
The relief suggests the spectral trace of the card files in the library. They are appropriately placed near the Seattle Collection, the historical holdings pertaining to the city. The card files also have a connection to Melvil Dewey. He implemented the use of standard sized index cards (3" x 5"), to be stored in standardized file drawer units. He founded the Library Bureau in the 1880s to produce these file drawer units (though over the years many other companies have produced file cabinets). This reference is significant because the Book Spiral is organized according to the ascending numbers of the Dewey System (rather than that of the Library of Congress).
Location: Central Library, 1000 Fourth Avenue, Seattle WA 98104
Location: Central Library, 1000 Fourth Avenue, Seattle WA 98104
