Historically, libraries have been known to keep cats. Many well-known public libraries keep cats. This is probably a vestigial practice from the days before d-CON and better mousetraps. Those of us who have cats know that a more efficient means of dispatching mice to the great beyond (for we do not know the personal eschatology of animals) does not exist.

Fish, however, present an interesting twist on the situation. You need water - not considered conducive to book preservation (think of all those libraries in Gaveston). You need food. You need to clean the tank. So, fish don’t make a ready made library mascot. They do, however, have one admirable library friendly feature - they are quiet. When your have the environmental opportunity to keep such creatures - i. e. a water fountain, the choice seems plain.

Even though it is on the “prey” (fitting for a Bible College) side of the cat/fish food chain, fish work well for our library. Remember, they too attend school.

By the way, last year we had a fish named “Dewey” who went to his reward. He was replaced with a new fish who was a generous donation from the Grings. We dubbed him, “LOC.” More on this development later.

Get to know our fish! Unlike what you think of some of your professors, they won’t bite.