Students ready for big week at library
SUSAN LOESCH
CATS IN THE STACKS
This is a big week here in the Arkansas School for the Blind Library: Friday will be Remembering Big Footsie Day.
Students are finishing their pages for Footsie’s memory book. My first-graders added a star to their pictures of him because he had a star-shaped tag. One student drew a green box – that is Footsie’s home after he was cremated.
I have become somewhat of an expert explaining cremation and explaining why it isn’t so that if he’d been buried instead of cremated he would be coming back to life!
Even as we anticipate Footsie’s day and look back and remember, we also are moving ahead.
“Is Alex here?” One of my students put her bracelet on Alex’s tail and he just purred on.
Maybe he is really getting the hang of this Head Library Cat job! Maybe we all are getting the hang of having him on the job.
Susan Loesch has been the librarian at the Arkansas School for the Blind for 35 years and is on the board of Feline Rescue and Rehome. She started the library cat program about 10 years ago after much animal therapy research.
Susan,
What a wonderful way to honor Big Footsie! I am enjoying reading about the activities in your library…makes me wish I were 40 years younger!!! Thanks for keeping us updated on the progress of Alex. Sounds like he is getting comfortable in the role of being Footsie’s successor. Yea!!
Alex is so handsome! And, I love Remembering Big Footsie Day…I certainly will be thinking of him and all the wonderful things he accomplished in his short life…
Way to go Alex! Sounds like you are doing a great job as library cat even thou you have some big paw prints to fill. Thanks Susan, you are doing a wonderful job writing these articles and I just love reading about what’s going on at the library.