A book checked out nearly a century ago has been returned to the Ocean County Library, just months before the library’s 100th anniversary.
Mary Cooper, 81, of Berkeley Township, discovered Home-Made Toys for Girls and Boys by A. Neely Hall while sorting through her late mother’s belongings after downsizing her home. The book had been borrowed in March 1926 by her grandfather, Charles Tilton, a boatwright and carpenter.
Cooper returned the book to the Toms River branch of the library, where staff immediately recognized its significance. If late fees were still in place, the book would have accrued approximately $18,000 in fines.
The book, published in 1911, is now on display in a locked case at the library as part of its centennial celebrations.