PexelsHave you ever found a sticky note, bookmark, or tiny trinket inside a library book? Emma Smreker from Oklahoma City has found plenty, but instead of leaving them be or even keeping them for herself, she finds the original owners of the items.
Emma Intentionally Spends Her Spare Time Going Through Old Books to Find Items Nestled Inside
The 30-year-old will visit thrift shops, vintage stores, and bargain bookstores just so she can rummage through old books that may contain little treasures within their pages.
She Has Found Just About Everything Inside Used Books
Everything from business cards and plane tickets to dried flowers and used tissues have been found while Emma was looking through used books.
But Sometimes She Finds a Special Item
Every now and then, she’ll come across something surprising.
One time when she was turning the pages of a vintage French book given to her by her husband, she came across a receipt from a Montreal cafe!
She’ll Turn to Social Media and Local News Stations to Help Find the Owners
Thanks to the hype surrounding social media and news programs, Emma tends to be very successful in tracking down the rightful owner of the items she discovers.
She Once Returned a 13-Year-Old Photograph to a Father and Daughter
In the photo was 4-year-old Sofia Meagher and her 44-year-old father, Tom Meagher, taken while visiting family in Santa Cruz.
The duo used to live in Oklahoma like Emma. However, they eventually relocated to San Antonio, Texas, unknowingly leaving their photo in a book hundreds of miles away.
The Owners of the Photo Couldn’t Have Been Happier to Get Their Old Memory Back
But, luckily, the father and daughter got the word about their found photograph while tuning into their old Oklahoma news station shortly after Emma contacted the station.
And it was one of the best surprises.
“I would never have imagined something like this happening to us,” now-17-year-old Sofia Meagher said. “It brought back so many memories from when I was younger.”
Emma Not Only Finds Joy in Returning These Items But Also Imagining How the Items Got There Exactly
She also enjoys wondering what the person who left the item might have been like and what was going on in their mind that day.
And There’s Quite a Lot to Learn from Her Hobby
Every time she engages in her hobby, she often comes across an enlightening handwritten message. And if she happens to come across a historical item, she can acquire intriguing information from that finding.
Now, she’s interested in learning about the used items in her own possession.
“I started wondering about the history of things I own,” she said. “I began going through books in my house and finding what little impressions had been left, like notes in the margins. I decided to create a photo documentation project.”
Emma Book-Rummaging May Seem Tedious, But It’s an Appreciated Gesture
Emma may have fun imagining how items fall between the pages of a book, but more importantly, her hobby has helped several people reunite with special items. She’s a hero!
Let us know: what’s the most interesting thing you’ve ever found in a used book?
