Submitted by Leslie Marinelli
People sometimes use interesting things as bookmarks.
I once found a patron's current auto loan statement folded inside a book when I was a YS at Post Road. There was a lot of very personal information on the statement including her name, address, payment history, and outstanding balance. I sent the patron an email and placed the statement in a sealed envelope, locked in a drawer until she could stop by to retrieve it.
I also once witnessed a coworker discover a slice of processed cheese in a book on our new releases cart.
As gross as that was, it sure made us laugh in the workroom that day. Believe me, fear of "the cheese touch" is alive and well in Forsyth County.
I'm curious, what is the weirdest thing you've ever found in a book at FCPL? Your answers may be used anonymously in an upcoming social media post or Bookmarked blog post about libraries, bookmarks, and/or our lost and found.
a Band-Aid - luckily it was unopened!
ReplyDeleteEw, David, ew! (So glad it was unused!)
DeleteThe strangest things I've ever found in a book are an emery board and a medical bill. (On separate occasions, I've also found a wallet, a quart-sized unopen water bottle, and barbeque chicken bones and a beer can in the book drop at my old library.)
ReplyDeleteBBQ chicken bones in the book drop?! Oh my book-loving heart. That is just all kinds of wrong. Thank you for sharing!
DeleteMoney, a four-leaf clover, stickers, a dryer sheet
ReplyDeleteA dryer sheet?! Wow -- I have never heard that one before! That book must have smelled amazing. Thanks for sharing.
Deletea plastic straw, crumpled tissues (unsure if used or not), and once sand. Just sand, opened the book and it poured out into my lap, quite literally a small pile.
ReplyDeleteHa! Sand?! Incredible. Probably the most sanitary item in your list though, which is pretty shocking.
DeleteThis doesn't relate to the specific question about items found in books, but this seems like a good time to share that a patron once handed me a VHS tape (not from the library's collection) and told me that God wanted me to have it next. I was in high school at the time. My supervisor gave it to law enforcement. I never learned what was on the tape.
ReplyDeleteOk, Anna, this sounds like a deleted scene from one of my favorite horror movies, The Ring. THANK GOODNESS YOU DIDN'T WATCH THAT TAPE!
DeleteWow....!
DeleteI wish I could remember which CSA found $800 in a book and brought it to our attention. At SF we found a cashiers check for more than $6,000. We found both patrons- and they were very happy!
ReplyDeleteYOWZA, that is a lot of money to be misplaced! I'm so glad you found both patrons! They must have been over the moon and I bet they are STILL telling friends and family about how wonderful the staff at FCPL are. It's not at all surprising to me that our folks are so ethical, but it still dazzles me every time I hear a story like this. Thank you for sharing!!
DeleteI do remember someone finding a lot of money in a book, I think a the Cumming Branch. I thought it was $200 - $300!
DeleteI was about to answer a $100 bill, but $800 wins for sure! I also found an unopened band-aid. I might need to use both hands to count how many times I have found squares of toilet paper over the years.
ReplyDeleteA $100 bill is still a shocking find! Oh dear... the toilet paper. That mental image really inspires me to read more eBooks.
DeleteOne of the weirdest things I found was when I was weeding the Teen collection for condition. I was flipping through one of the books and found a picture of my own child on a bookmark from around 5 years prior. I must have checked out that book at one point and left it in there by mistake!
ReplyDeleteWhoa -- that really IS weird! It sounds like the beginning of a sci-fi time machine novel!
DeleteThat is cool!
DeleteStranger Things
DeleteI remember a CSA found a sandwich in an audiobook case once. (or part of one)
ReplyDeleteOh my! I hope it wasn't a 3-day old tuna fish sandwich!
DeleteI recently found what looked like paperwork related to someone's wedding plans stuck in a book...people really will use the closest flat object to keep their place!
ReplyDeleteSo true!
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