I have taken to leaving useful goodies in library books for future readers: maps of Dublin in the works of Joyce, a map of the Caribbean in a book about pirates, a chart of flower symbolism in the works of Wilde, lists of historical characters in Roman fiction, a timeline of rulers in books about post-Roman/Arthurian Britain.

Libraries could provide stick-on pockets inside the covers of some books expressly for this purpose.

While this is not a common practice, I think it should be encouraged. It would an entirely self-censoring (pseuo-wiki) system, since the library would not own any of the added materials: any reader can remove as easily as provide.
-- nilstycho, Mar 06 2004

Ooh, geocaching with library books! Perhaps a web site could be set up with clues as to the particular library - and particular copy of the book - which has the treasure in its pocket.
-- phundug, Mar 06 2004


as a child i found a pot leaf in one of the encyclopedia volumes my family had...
-- krod, Mar 06 2004


If the library provided pockets, wouldn't they have to take some responsibility for the content?
-- kropotkin, Mar 06 2004


Just read Crime and Punishment.

Pop quiz! Who is the oldest daughter of Katerina Ivanovna Marmeladov? That's right! It's Polina Mikhailovna Marmeladov, although Polya, Polja, Polenka, and Polechka are also acceptable.

Yeesh. Added a guide to the names.
-- nilstycho, Apr 18 2004


"For a 10-page essay entitled 'Raskolnikov as a Foil for Pre-Modern Russian Nihilism', please send $20 to . . ."
-- phundug, Apr 18 2004



random, halfbakery