Added Reason to Carry a Library Card

One snowy December night while walking a friend's dog David Zukerman loses his keys and discovers an added reason to carry a New York Public Library card.

By: David R. Zukerman

It was a snowy night, December 19, on a Seton Park field outside the Spuyten Duyvil library in the Bronx. I was dog sitting for friends, who went away for the holidays, and my charge was romping with another dog. Some time after we left the park, and with the snow falling heavier, I noticed that I did not have the key ring with my house keys.

I backtracked, going to stores I had stopped at that evening -- but no keys were to be found. Fortunately, my charge and I were not homeless; we had my friends' house to stay at.

Monday (the 21st) I had new house keys made, but there was still the matter of getting a new lock for my mailbox. Until I could get the new lock, I would wait for the postman, daily.

By the Sunday after Christmas, rain had washed away most of the snow on that Seton Park field and I trudged about the muddy surface, thinking that I might have dropped the keys when I was there the night of December 19. But, no key ring was to be seen.

The morning of December 28, I went to the Sputen Duyvil branch -- on the chance that someone had found the key ring and brought it to the branch desk. You see, I realized that the tag of my library card was also on the ring.

Sure enough, the keys had been brought in -- and, indeed, had I first checked my email that morning, I would have seen the note from the library advising me that the key ring had been turned in by a woman who had found them (I'm not sure where).

And on the ring was the mailbox key which meant no more waiting for the postman or need to install a new mailbox lock.

All because a kind, considerate person found the keys and, seeing the NYPL tag, had the presence of mind to bring them to the Spuyten Duyvil branch.

Seems to me another good reason for having a New York Public Library card: put the tag on your key ring and reduce risk of keys forever lost.