A Look Back: Library Finds
January 5th, 2010
Around now is when everyone is either reviewing the past year, or making their predictions or promises for the upcoming year. To vary that theme a little bit, I created a Library Finds flickr group and uploaded stuff collected by me and my staff in the library since I started working there.
What I've uploaded so far is just a fraction of what we've found. Mostly it is left-behind note paper, and it always amazes me what someone chose to write down, and then either left or forgot. Some of the most common things are:
- call number and book/movie titles
- quick math (but not so quick as to be easily worked out in your head)
- urls (especially craigslist posts)
- artwork and doodles
- personal messages or notes to other people
- signs warning people to stay away from their computer
- lots of things obviously written by middle-school boys
I'm not uploading anything that seemed personally-identifiable: peoples' first and last names, phone numbers, email addresses, account login and passwords - and there were a frighteningly large number of these.
If you like Found objects, here are some related links. Also please add anything you find in your library to the flickr group - I'll keep adding more whenever I can.
I hope you enjoyed 2009, and that your 2010 is even better.
January 6th, 2010 at 12:13 am
I love this. I’ve been collecting some things I find in books while I do weeding, and have some interesting things.
It’s interesting to see the similarities of what people scribble o their little notes to selves and others.
January 6th, 2010 at 12:33 am
There used to be a community for found photos that I was always posting my found library gems to, but I’ve been in a photo drought for awhile and now I mostly find scrap paper notes like “get lightbulbs!”
January 6th, 2010 at 1:21 pm
Back in the day while I was employed as a page at my university library, I kept a similar collection of random notes and found photos. I may have to dig around and see if I can find any of those items at home this evening!
January 6th, 2010 at 8:15 pm
I know – I wish I had kept stuff from previous libraries, too. And so far, I’ve only uploaded the scrap paper – we also find a lot of photos, cards (playing cards, Pokemon, etc), and all sorts of other stuff.
January 13th, 2010 at 11:31 am
[…] strange, some amusing and some that just make you scratch your head and wonder. Brian Herzog of Swiss Army Librarian has created a Flickr group where we can share these little treasures with each other. Similar to […]
January 13th, 2010 at 2:21 pm
awesome idea! When I get a moment, I’m going to take some pictures of the stuff in our Lost & Found – sunglasses, ID cards, even a toothbrush (tho’ we actually didn’t save that one).