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Literature can hide treasures, sometimes … literally

A hollowed out book was found to have $1,400 inside at the library book sale.
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The Library Book Sale was a great success, thank-you to all who helped the Friends of the Library put it together and to those who came out to find their treasures.

Speaking of treasures, while putting out books, one of our workers came upon a book that had been hollowed out in the middle. Inside was $1,400! We were shocked to say the least and began the search for the owner. Putting together a few clues and taking a leap of faith we contacted who we hoped were the owners. When we were able to be certain this treasure belonged to them, we offered them a choice: We could return the money or, since it had belonged to a family member now deceased, we could add money to that from the Friends and purchase a bench for the Library courtyard with a plaque honoring their family member. They chose the bench. So watch for more information on when the bench will be installed and pictures taken of the family who will attend the celebration.

What books would you want to restart civilization from scratch?

The Long Now Manual for Civilization group is working toward a living, crowd-curated library. They have been involved with this question since 1996. The 3,500 books are on display at The Interval (theinterval.org), San Francisco, California and the persons working on this project are partnering with Internet Archive (archive.org), a non-profit digital library offering free universal access to books, movies and music, as well as 294 billion archived web pages, to digitize the Manual so that it can be shared with the world. The Manual is the latest in a centuries-long genealogy of ambitious projects to catalog and, crucially, democratize the most essential human knowledge. The hope is to create a curatorial principle that inspires valuable conversation that reframes how we think about where civilization has come so far, where it might go in the future, and what tools are necessary to get it there. Examples of some information is one from wikiHow (wikiHow.com) “how to deliver a baby” another is “How to field dress a deer.” Both would be really handy if our world ever needed restarting.

The Smithers Art Gallery will be holding their AGM Thursday, June 22, 12–12:30 p.m. You are invited to this important meeting as without enough people they could become ineligible for grants that provide the funding that allows them to provide their many programs in our community. Lunchtime appetizers and tea/coffee will be provided. Check it out, learn about this dynamic board. Membership can be taken out or renewed prior to the meeting. $25 gets you a list of the fantastic member benefits and discounts as long as your arm! More information: 250-847-3898.

The Smithers Public Library is holding their Campfire at Riverside Park Gazebo, June 30, 5–7 p.m. Marshmallows, drinks, hotdogs provided, just bring some songs and roasting sticks!

Closing with: serendipity – good fortune; luck. An aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.