Editors Note: The press is invited to attend and photograph the sculpture, which will be on display Tuesday, May 25, at 4: 30 p.m. in the Norlin Library east entrance.
The venerable card catalog has been transformed from a piece of outdated furniture to the hallmark of a new donor society at the University of Colorado at Boulder Libraries.
The sculpture will be unveiled Tuesday, May 25, at 4:30 p.m. in the Norlin Library east entrance. The 15-member Libraries Development Advisory Board will attend.
"We are honoring the past to build support for the future, "said Libraries Dean James F. Williams. "The individuals and organizations who give to the Libraries are investing in the preservation of knowledge and the advancement of discovery, learning and research."
In 2000, as the Libraries prepared to discard the remnants of an outmoded technology, Williams rescued several cabinets and commissioned renowned local artist John Haertling to create a piece of art to recognize major gifts to the Libraries. A Boulder native and owner of Haertling.com, Haertling creates "art with a purpose" - awards, gifts, wall hangings and sculptures - exclusively for corporations and foundations.
He crafted the sculpture from two complete catalogs and additional catalog pieces. The wood is fully restored and set off by a black slate-tiled backing. A sculpted sandstone top piece is engraved with the name of the society.
Members of the Society make a tax-deductible contribution of $10,000 or more to the Top Drawer Society Fund and are honored with a permanent, engraved nameplate on one of the card catalog drawers or honorary panels, which may be used to honor a student, remember a family member or commemorate an event.
Benefits of membership in The Top Drawer Society include corresponding membership in the Chancellor's Society or the President's Club, invitations to events of the Dean and the Friends of the Libraries, a complimentary subscription to the campus' literary magazine, specified library privileges and memorabilia from the Libraries.
For more information about the Top Drawer Society, phone (303) 492-7512, email topdrawersociety@colorado.edu, or visit .