Benson Public Library is a city library funded by city taxes, which will increase as business and residential areas grow in the next few years. A resident cat seemed the logical choice to add to this menagerie. We contacted our local Humane Society for a suitable feline. As time passed, patrons and circulation increased. No need to tell any librarian what happens to one's time when this happens.
Boots enjoys being the main attraction.
She greets people at the cirulation desk, and joins the children at storytime, and following her afternoon nap. She's a surrogate cat for patrons who are new residents, for families who cannot have a cat. Our building has angled windows that create window sills that are perfect for cat napping and bird watching, and for children outdoors to greet Boots. Patrons often bring her treats and coupons for food and litter. On holiday weekends, the librarian takes her home, where Boots has forty arces to chase grasshoppers and roadrunners, and play with the resident male tuxedo cat, Zeke.