What to Know
- A new library card depicting P-22, the famous mountain lion of Griffith Park, just debuted at all Los Angeles Public Library branches
- P-22 was euthanized in December 2022 due to illness and injuries sustained from a possible vehicle collision
- The free cards, created for checking out books and accessing other library services, will be available "while supplies last"
The card catalog was long a central part of library searches, that hulking, drawer-lined, paper-filled "computer" that served as a library's centerpiece well before the computers we now know entered the scene.
Whether you called this area "the cat" as a kid or not, you knew that it was no stretch to say that your local library was a place packed with all sorts of catly things. There were cat-tastic offerings beyond the card catalog and cataloging system, from cat books to cat bookmarks to, sometimes, real purring library cats.
But another cat is taking the library centerstage as February 2023 concludes, and he's a feline that is well-known to Southern Californians and lovers of urban wildlife everywhere: It's P-22, the magnificent mountain lion of Griffith Park.
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P-22's amazing city adventures came to a poignant close at the end of 2022, when injuries and illness led to his euthanization.
A Celebration of Life at the Greek Theatre followed a few weeks later, as well as other touching tributes. And now there is a new way for fans to show their feline allegiance to the memory of P-22 and his incredible legacy: Los Angeles Public Library has placed the puma on a new limited-edition library card.
Available at all branches, the library features the celebrated photograph of the cat with the Hollywood Sign in the background, a snapshot that is appearing courtesy of photojournalist Steve Winter and National Geographic.
As you might expect, the library cards will be available "while supplies last," so make for your local branch soon.
It's the perfect weekend to cozy up with a book, one you've checked out with the help of your favorite cat-ologuer, P-22, a lion that now is rocking some literary loftiness.
Los Angeles Public Library's newest card is a feline, er, fine fit, given its longtime support of P-22 and the many lessons we humans can gain by living with the many urban critters we do. After all, several branches hosted watch parties of the big cat's Celebration of Life on Feb. 4, making P-22's appearance on the newest library card a touching tribute.
And how sweet to see the animal gracing your wallet every day, a moving reminder to visit and support your local library.
