Lately my blogging friends have been writing about the odd, unusual, and sometimes gross things that people use as bookmarks. We folks in libraryland get to see these odd, unusual, and sometimes gross things when they show up in returned library books. Many times I've heard a library colleague shriek aloud at finding something in a library book that should just not be there.
So let's be honest. How many of us have used something odd, unusual or gross as a bookmark? Come on. Don't be shy.
My colleague Lori has found candy wrappers as bookmarks in library books. Read about other odd things she's found in her blog. This whole discussion started when my colleague Panteha pleaded with our wonderful library users to not use dental floss as a bookmark. Dental floss? Really? Read her great blog here.
Since I've got a few more years on Lori and Panteha, I've seen a little more. Alas. Let's see if I can remember the odd, unusual and gross things I've seen used as bookmarks in library bookmarks.
Would you believe....
- A strip of dried fruit (you know the kind that comes rolled up in plastic? It was really old, by the way)
- A dryer sheet
- A piece of kleenex
- A fast food napkin with ketchup on it
- A boy's phone number with hearts drawn all around it
And my all-time favorite: a shoe insert, and I'm not kidding!
All this talk reminds me of one of my favorite picture books ever: I Took My Frog to the Library by Eric Kimmel. This fun read shows what happens when animals run amok in the library -- from a hen laying an egg in the card catalog (the old way we used to look up books) to a python shedding its skin. Oh gross!
So let's leave our animals at home, and use a piece of paper for a bookmark. Sound good?
In the meantime, happy reading as always!
I have mentioned this to other library-folks from time to time...a piece of raw bacon (which destroyed the book) was one of the worst items found at a library where I worked a few years back.
ReplyDeleteOh that's just too gross!
ReplyDelete