Somewhere, amongst the vast plains and fields of the great state of Iowa, there was a tiny town called Spencer.

Spencer was a farming town, and that meant that it's people were mostly farmers. For the most part, they were prosperous and happy, but Spencer had fallen on hard times. The town had become quite small and empty, and the streets were dusty and quiet.

But in this tiny, dusty town, there was a library! And this library was run by a lady named Vicki Myron. She was the librarian there, and while she loved her library and all of its books, it was just like the town. Small, empty, and quiet. 

Vicki wanted to make the library better. She wanted to make people want to come to the library, to want to read the many books that the library had. But in the town of Spencer, her chances didn't look too good.

That January, on the coldest day of the year, Vicki checked the book drop-off. She had seen all sorts of things stuffed in there, from rocks and soda cans to snowballs and firecrackers. But this time, she heard something move. 

"What could be in there?" she asked, perplexed. 

Vicki peeked inside. In the very corner of the freezing cold box, there was a tiny kitten! He shivered, shook, and sneezed, his tiny tail curled up around him as tightly as it would go.

"Poor thing!" said Vicki, and she scooped him up to take him inside.

Vicki rushed the tiny kitten into the warmth of the library, and when his paws finally began to thaw, he began to sniff around. He balanced around the shelves and pawed through the piles of book. It seemed that he had decided that he liked this library, a new and exciting playground for him to explore.

Vicki watched the orange kitten make himself at home amongst the books. "Dewey," she said, "that's what I'll call you, after the Dewey Decimal System."

Dewey purred in agreement.

As hours went by, Vicki soon saw that Dewey was no ordinary cat. He was playful, funny, and full of antics, trying to jump out of boxes and eat rubber bands. But Dewey was also very kind and patient with all who met him. He never hissed or scratched, nor ran away from boisterous children or loud noises. He was quite the special cat, and he soon gained much attention from regulars at the library.

This gave Vicki an idea. What if Dewey was the key to making the library popular again? What if a library cat could be the way to bringing Spencer back to life?

And so, weeks went by and Vicki tested this theory. More and more people passed through the library, and Dewey charmed each and every one of them. He stood watch at the front doors, occasionally earning a pat on the head, but as the library began to fill, he made his rounds. Dewey made sure to greet everyone, to sit on their laps and swish his fluffy tail in the book they were reading. He could make even the hardest, most work-worn farmer crack a smile. 

Everyone, especially the children, loved Dewey. He was a shining light in the darkness of some of the patron's lives, and his patience, consideration, and playful mannerisms drew people to him. Dewey was like a magnet for the library!

Dewey was always apart of Story Time for the children. They all wanted to sit with him, pet him and hug him. 

Childrens' mothers thanked him for giving their kids so much joy. For many, Dewey was a comfort from the hard lives that they led.

Dewey even entered and won a photo contest! He was constantly in the newspapers, bringing more and more popularity to the library. Dewey was truly a special little cat.

Spencer Library or bust!

People drove hundreds of miles to visit Dewey and Spencer Public Library. Some even spent their vacations in Spencer!

Vicki was surprised about how far Dewey's name had gone. Now that so many people were visiting the library, there was hardly enough room for them all!

Soon, Spencer was no longer the small and empty town it once was. There were people everywhere! Dewey really had brought Spencer back to life, just as Vicki thought he might.