A woman from New Jersey returned a 99-year-overdue library book after discovering it in her late mother’s belongings.
According to CNN, Mary Cooper, who shifted to a new home, found an old library book among her late mother’s belongings that has Mary Cooper.
The 81-year-old told CNN, “I was looking through the books and found one about (building) toys for boys and girls. I thought, ‘That’s a neat book. Maybe my son would like it, he loves to build things.’”
In reality it was not only her son who was interested in the craftsmanship but also her grandfather, Charles Tilton, who bought the book named Home-Made Toys for Girls and Boys” by A. Neely Hall.
Tilton, who himself was a boatwright and carpenter, checked out the book from the Ocean County Library system in New Jersey in March 1926, a year before he died.
Notably, Cooper does not have any memories with the grandfather, as he died even before she was born.
After finding the book, Cooper knew that it was time to return it as “I thought, I don’t have grandchildren, and my kids are getting older. Even if my son took it, I didn’t know what they’d do with it. I figured it belonged to the library.”
Cooper, who was worried about the late charges that would have added up to $18,000, got a surprising reaction from the library staff.
She recalled, “I said, ‘I think you want to look at this book.’ So, (the staff member) took it,” Cooper said. “And then she goes, ‘Oh my God, this book is almost 100 years old.’ She said, ‘Don’t move. Don’t go anywhere.’”
Furthermore, now the Ocean County Library has displayed it for the public in a locked case along with other mementos at the library in Toms River.
