Cash, letters to grandma: Here’s what Centre County readers have returned in library books
The typical bookmark is relatively inexpensive and may not hold much sentimental value. However, residents of Centre County have apparently used some interesting items to mark their reading spots.
Ben Drain, head of patron services at Schlow Centre Region Library, said he has enjoyed finding some sweet items in book returns.
Letters to grandparents, photographs and handmade bookmarks are among meaningful things Centre County residents have returned in their library books, Drain said.
One that particularly stuck out to him was a bookmark handmade by a little girl who wrote about a serious debate concerning which of her two passions (horses and books) was worthier.
While some lost items hold sentimental value, other readers have large financial stakes in their makeshift placeholders.
“The probably strangest thing that I ever encountered was when I was working for Penn State libraries,” Drain said. “There was a blank, signed check that clearly a parent had given to their kid for rent. The kid probably didn’t know who exactly to make it out for, and they had used it for a bookmark.”
Drain said there was an address and name on the check, so the library system was able to return it to its owner.
“Occasionally, you’ll get a passport,” Drain said.
One reader had used their book as a piggy bank, putting “$400 and some dollars in bills” in the novel for safekeeping. Drain said the cash was returned to its owner.
It’s common for librarians to reach out to readers about left-behind items. Drain said this happens at least once a week, and he’s learned you can never tell what’s important to someone until you give them a chance to come pick it up.
Once, a child had left a sticker sheet behind in a book. One of Drain’s staff members emailed the family that it had been found, and they immediately came to pick it up.
“If you can make the effort, if you can track down the person, it’s good to make that effort,” Drain said.
Although librarians do their best to return lost items, it’s still a good idea to double check your books before you return them. Drain said it can sometimes be difficult to reunite what’s left behind because things can fall out of books in the drop box.
Schlow Centre Region Library circulated 729,937 items in 2019, the last “regular” year, Drain said.
The librarians find items returned in books every day, although they only find sentimental or valuable items a couple of times per week.
Here’s a list of the things Drain said he and colleagues have found in returned books:
- Letters to grandparents
- Flight tickets
- Credit cards
- Cash
- Children’s handmade bookmarks
- Receipts
- Passports
- Photographs
- Blank checks
