Bookmarked Memories

A woman told me a story as we were bringing in her donations. She said that her whole family were scholars, avid readers with a wide range of interests. They decided years ago that they would use real bookmarks only in the books they were reading at one time, usually a dozen or so. Her husband has died recently and she said it was such a comfort for the family to find those bookmarks and know the things he was interested in when his livelong passion for learning was complete. ~B

Donations Made Easy

Our sorters were very pleased when they opened one woman’s donation of books left from her garage sale. Unlike the jumble they usually find, the books were sorted by subject and labelled, complete with an inventory by title. Needless to say, volunteers made short work of getting those books to the appropriate tables.

School Day Memories

In 2016, a volunteer found some items in a book, including a duplicate social insurance card and photos of:

• a couple named Pat and Rose in their wedding finery,

• a teacher, dated September 6, 1961,

• students - Theresa, Pat, Maureen, Grady

• a nursing student,

• an RCMP recruit in uniform,

• 4 student or family groups.

Books Connect People

At the Farmer's Market, a woman asked where we get our books from. I replied that most come from Regina donors, but that a woman in Grenfell had called asking if we could pick up books because she doesn't drive in the city. To my surprise, the woman at the market offered to drive to Grenfell and bring back the books! And that's what happened. The two women connected, arranged to meet half-way, shifted boxes from one vehicle to the other, and then headed to the Indian Head Bakery for coffee and yummy treats. A new friendship made through the love of book. One of many. ~B

One Mystery Among Many

Some of the most interesting finds are photographs. Several years ago, one of our volunteers glanced at the collage and recognized a relative in a group photo. On closer examination, she realized it was a picture of her own family that she couldn't remember having seen before. The source of this special gift was, and remains, a mystery. A memento lost and found.

A Piece of History

One summer, a volunteer came across a very interesting letter in a book. It was typed on official Government of Saskatchewan paper and was from Premier Ross Thatcher’s office to a women in Ottawa who had applied for a position in the legislature. It was personally signed by the premier. It was put aside and donated to the government archives. ~B

Discoveries

"My favourite task is to open up a big box of books that has been dropped off. You never know what you will find. It could be a whole set of books from one author or a collection of art books, cookbooks or self-help advice. What I find most interesting is a box that contains a mixture of books – from the classics to modern fiction, with biographies or some humour thrown in. I then wonder about the people who donated these book. Is it a collection from one person who read a broad range of books or is it from various members of a family? From the thousands of books we receive every summer, I have concluded that, even with the rise in online reading, people still love to read books on paper." ~B