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Hidden secrets revealed in items left in library books

An Oakland library has been collecting the items left in returned books and created a on-line gallery for you to see them.

OAKLAND, Calif. — One small square of toilet paper. A written on a post-it note.
A polaroid picture. These are all things people left behind in
their library books. 

"I like imagining where these came from. I kind of think of each thing as obviously being touched by a person. It’s just kind of a glimpse at humanity and who we all are and how we're all connected,” said Sharon McKellar, librarian at the Oakland Public Library.

Instead of throwing away what folks left behind, the Oakland Public Library morphed all the stuff into a passion project showcasing what many readers have forgotten, lost, or left behind in their library books.

They're showcased in the library, but you can also see them on the library's website. McKellar refers to one of the showcases as the “Eat, Drink, and Be Merry” case. It features tickets to concerts, theatre performances, food and drink events, and others. One ticket to an Oakland Athletics baseball game was from April 25, 2013, while a ticket to a Heineken beer-related event was dated November 19, 2002.

"I have a separate section for things that were clearly by kids and a lot of my favorite ones fall in there because whatever kids are doing - whether they're writing or drawing - is often hilarious. There's like a bookmark that's a robot dad that says Calculating I Love Beer,” said McKellar. 

"We've collected a lot of different things, a lot of photographs, a lot of things written or drawn on post-it notes, to-do lists, little notes and drawings, airplane tickets, a lot of bookmarks, and a lot of things used as bookmarks that aren't actually bookmarks, almost anything you can think of, cards, postcards, drawings, letters," said McKellar

    

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