This week we had a book returned to us from an Illinois library. They got it from a neighboring library in Idaho, who found it in their book return. As much as we’d love to know how and why our book from Ravenna, Ohio, ended up in Idaho and Illinois, we’ll probably never find out. But its arrival sparked a conversation about things that end up at our library that don’t belong to us.
It happens more than you think. We routinely get books that belong to school libraries and other public libraries returned in our book drop. Of course, we contact the library and work to return their material, just like our book was so kindly returned to us. In those cases, it’s easy to find out who owns a book or movie; the library’s name is on it.
Just as frequently, books and movies end up in the return that don’t belong to us or to any other library. Did one of you accidentally mix in your own book with your library returns? Is that book a donation for the Friends that someone slipped in while we were closed? Without a clue or an owner’s name on the item, we have questions but no answers. Instead, we have a shelf of anonymous items that have been slipped through the book return slot but don’t belong on our shelves.
We also have other lost things that we find after hours or that someone turns in to our checkout desk. We hope to maybe return these things to their owners but with most items, all we can do is hold onto it for a bit and hope someone asks about it. (Your Hulk is still here!)
Are you looking for something at home and can’t find it? Did you visit the library recently? Maybe, just maybe, you put it into the book return by accident or you left it here and don’t remember. We might be holding onto it, hoping you’ll come back. Stop in and ask or give us a call. Your missing item could be waiting, lonely on our library shelf, for you to retrieve it.
Sincerely, Cornelius 