Check Those Pages Before Your Donate!

A sampling of items found in George Mason Friends book donations.

           
Among the treats of volunteering with the George Mason Friends is discovering some of the curious things people have tucked in books, and then forgotten. Despite this entertainment, though, we'd much prefer you keep your family treasures!
           
This photo shows just a few of the things discovered between the pages of donations: photos, post cards, and a 1940s-era certificate for participation in a school savings program. We also find charming bookmarks, little religious mementos, notes, and magazine and newspaper clippings (by the way, newspapers are terrible for books, because acids in the paper stain the book pages over time). Also, once in a great while, we find money. 
           
When we come across family photos, we put them out on top of the donation bin in the hopes that the donor will claim them on their  next visit to the library. On the rare occasion when we find a notable amount of money, we make a reasonable attempt to track down the rightful owner, but usually there is little indication of who the donor is. If we cannot identify the previous owner, the money becomes a donation to the George Mason Friends.
           
So please, make sure all your donations are intentional! Put the dollar bill you used as a bookmark back in your wallet, and add those family photos to the shoebox for the album you'll get around to someday.