Two Sylvias' Weekly Muse: September 18, 2022

Issue 21

Hello, Muse Subscribers!

As writers and poets who love playing with words, it can be assumed that most of us are in love with the printed page—books! Here at Two Sylvias we certainly identify as bibliophiles, and we would like to send out some love to librarians, some of whom are finding themselves in the crosshairs of an increasing battle over the banning and removal of certain books from libraries.

We came across an uplifting article about Sharon McKellar, who has been a librarian at the Oakland (CA) Public Library for twenty years. McKellar became fascinated by what she often found in returned library books—love letters, photos, pressed flowers, shopping lists, to-do lists, bucket lists, children’s drawings, recipes, doodles, study notes, etc.

She began scanning these mementos and uploading them to a page on the library’s website called “Found in a Library Book.”  She removes any personal information, like names and addresses, before making her wonderful finds public. Staff members …