If you have spent time in a library, checking in the books patrons have returned, you have doubtless found a few interesting items left in the books. A librarian from Oakland Public Library has created a web collection of all the interesting things she has found!

Check out this article excerpt for some details; and you can read the whole thing here.

A librarian collects all the things left in books — from love letters to old photos

“An ornate pencil drawing of a dragon; a floral postcard congratulating a 40th birthday, never mailed; a silver crochet hook.

All of these items share a connection: They were left behind in books returned to the Oakland Public Library.

Librarian Sharon McKellar collects the found artifacts and posts them on the library’s website in a collection titled “Found in a Library Book.”

McKellar was fascinated by the things she’d find at the library and the anonymous glimpses into people’s lives they offered. She thought the public may be interested too, so nearly 10 years ago she began adding found items to the library’s website.

“I had always collected little things I’d found in library books and I knew other people did that too,” McKellar said. “So that was how it started. It was pretty simple, I was inspired by a magazine called Found Magazine.“

Oakland librarians send McKellar the things they find, which she then scans and adds to the library’s growing online collection.

The archive now includes more than 350 items of all sorts. There are yellowed photographs, snippets of homework, bus tickets, love notes and postcards among the collection.”

“”It lets us be a little bit nosy. In a very anonymous way, it’s like reading people’s secret diaries a little bit but without knowing who they are,” or breaching anyone’s trust, she said.

She said the library may someday hold a writing contest and ask people to submit short stories to go along with the found items.

Under McKellar’s desk, she keeps a box of more found notes waiting to be added to the website. In between meetings, she’ll often take out a note or photo or a drawing and examine it.

“I wonder if it was a precious object to somebody,” McKellar said. “Does the person miss that item? Do they regret having lost it or were they careless with it because they actually didn’t share those deep and profound feelings with the person who wrote [it]?” she wonders.

Then she’ll scan the item and add it to the collection.”

Enjoy the photos that go along with this story, and the rest of it here!