When we first came across an article on the web about Sharon McKellars “Found in a library book” collection we thought it was an amazing project. Since 2013 she has been collecting notes, postcards etc from library books at the Oakland public library. It can range from notes from kids to parents, strange postcards, shopping lists. It’s those small everyday spur of the moment things, stuff we write down and later forget about. We decided to reach out to Sharon to ask some questions.  

You probably been asked this a million times, but what was the reason you started the collection “Found in a library book”?  

I originally asked a few people around the library system (we have 18 locations) to send me anything they had saved that they had found in the library or in a library book. I knew I had a couple of small things I had held onto and figured many others might too and I wanted to feature them on our then new website’s new blog! I was inspired by a magazine called Found that I loved. This was about 10 years ago.  I was intrigued by the idea of found items and the stories they tell and thought that it would bring something new and interesting to our website!   

I did a few blog posts and then I moved into a different job in the library and no longer was responsible for web content, but people kept sending me their found items and I kept holding onto them! 

Then when we migrated to a new website a few years ago I was on the team helping to plan and build the site, and there was a way to show off archival collections and I thought that it would be a fun way to finally share this huge collection I had amassed!    

https://oaklandlibrary.org/content/watch-your-back

How do you catalogue them? Like how do you decide from the beginning how you would sort it?  

That’s a good question, and my answer isn’t particularly scientific.  At first I didn’t sort or catalogue them – they just lived in a box underneath my desk! But when the opportunity came to include them in the new website, I had to think and act fast. I knew what I had, in general, and they seemed to easily divide into some groups that I thought would be interesting for people browsing – photos, notes, things children made, lists, bookmarks etc. Once in awhile something doesn’t fit perfectly, but I do my best!  

But it is still really just my own brainchild – and they now live in TWO boxes under my desk: one box of items I’ve scanned and one box of items I still have to scan. As ephemera, the only place they really are catalogued is online on our website.  

It’s one of the things I enjoy about the collection – seeing that as the world changes in so many ways, our human interaction doesn’t really change! 

How many items are there now?  

On the website, as of today, there are 639 found items!  I probably have between 150 and 200 other items waiting to be posted on the site, or still waiting to be scanned! And I keep getting more!  

Of all the things you collected, can you pick a favorite or maybe favorites?  

It is so hard to pick a favorite, or even a few favorites, and I feel like it changes with my mood a little bit.   

This recent find is really cool!  (https://oaklandlibrary.org/content/phylliss-first-letter-1915/)  A very old envelope including communication between a young girl and her dad, as well as a lock of her hair from a first haircut and a photo from a bit later in her life.   

I love the funny ones – like the robot dad who loves beer!   (https://oaklandlibrary.org/content/robot-daddy/) 

And I love the ones that let you really try to imagine a story.  This postcard always stays in my mind – https://oaklandlibrary.org/content/that-is-then-and-this-is-now/.  I wonder about the relationship between the writer and receiver of the card – and why she continued to write for so long without response.   

Is there a difference in what you find in the books now from when you started in 2013?  

Not a big difference, to be honest! I am pleasantly surprised that we still find a lot of actual photographs – and letters and cards and notes and drawings.  It’s one of the things I enjoy about the collection – seeing that as the world changes in so many ways, our human interaction doesn’t really change! 

What do these notes and postcards, in your opinion, say about our society and the people who live in it?  

I think the thing I have been most surprised by, and find most powerful, is how much positivity I find in all of these things. These are things left behind unintentionally, they aren’t people trying to show a particularly good side of themselves, and yet the most prominent emotions are so lovely.  Almost no anger or hate. Sometimes sadness, yes, or longing – but without it turning bitter or mean. This tells me that we, in our most real moments, are just looking for love, happiness, humor, connection, and peace. And that is just gorgeous! 

Sharon McKellar coordinates teen services for the Oakland Public Library in Oakland, California. She has been a librarian in Oakland for more than 20 years working at many different branches in many different capacities. In addition to collecting things that many think are trash, she enjoys throwing pottery, playing drums, making zines, and hanging out with her husband, cats, and 9-year-old twin daughters.