Creepy Things That Were Found in Libraries

Source: http://www.ranker.com/list/creepy-li...sktop-also-saw

Libraries are a space for learning and community building, but some have been the setting of horror stories. This list is full of creepy things found in libraries, horrifying discoveries ranging from unmarked graves to books made with human flesh.

The goosebump-inducing creepiness of the items on this list might make you hesitate before visiting your local library. Or, perhaps you'll be eager to go exploring, see what you can find. Maybe you'll discover an oddity sinister enough to land itself on this list. Vote up the things you find creepiest, and share these spooky stories on your camping trip.

Books Bound with Human Flesh



Several years ago, librarians at Harvard discovered that the strange leather binding found on three of their books is human flesh. As it turns out, human flesh was a relatively common leather used for binding anatomical textbooks during the 17th century. Medical researchers harvested the flesh from cadavers after dissecting them.


An Unmarked Grave



When construction began for the library at Minnesota's St. Cloud State University, builders discovered an unmarked burial ground with both adult and child skeletons. The bones were later used as study tools in multiple courses at the university.


Human Bones



During a renovation of the University of Utah's library, construction workers found human bones. The university police said the bones were probably not put there recently. It's possible they were burried before the library was constructed in 1936.
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Ghosts



Lots of libraries are rumored to be haunted. Harvard's Schlesinger Library is famous for its paranormal activity, as is Memorial Library at the University of Wisconsin, where a staff member once reported that she heard the name "Sally Brown" creepily whispered during one of her shifts. Several ghosts have also been seen in the library, including that of novelist Helen Constance White.


Crack Pipes and Heroin



Posting on the LibraryThing chat board, a librarian dejectedly wrote, "Bag of heroin tucked inside the dust jacket of a children's book. Sigh." Another librarian followed this comment with, "Syringe and crack pipe in the vertical files."
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Bed Bugs



Bed bugs prefer beds, but occasionally hide in books. The University of Washington found bed bugs on books in 2012. To kill the nefarious critters, librarians placed books in freezers for seven days, let them thaw, then froze them for seven more days. Bed bugs make themselves at home in books often enough for the New York Times to run an article on it.


Actual Teeth



According to the New York Times, baby teeth have been found in library books. One middle school librarian recounted finding a tooth next to a keyboard and bringing it to the nurse's office. Its owner promptly came to claim it, so he could collect the tooth fairy money.


The Itinerant Masturbator



Several years ago, two female students at Bradley University had separate encounters with a masturbating man in the university library. One saw him in the basement at 6:30pm, the other saw him in a study room at 6:45pm. Which begs the question, was he walking around the library masturbating for 15+ minutes, or did he choose key locations and cease his trunk tugging while moving from one spot to the next?


Glass Floors



The library of Brooklyn's Pratt Institute has glass floors. That means anyone on the floor below you can look right up your skirt. If that weren't creepy enough, there's also a small space between the glass tiles and book shelves - someone a few floors up could pee right down onto your head if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time.


A Dead Fish



A student who worked at her school's library opened the book drop one morning to find a dead fish in it. The books in that box stayed smelly for quite a long time. This same person also found a VHS tape entitled "Huge Bras Vol. III," which a patron later came looking for, claiming to have but it in the drop box by accident.


Bacon



The novelist Reynolds Price claims to have found a slice of bacon inside a book he checked out from the Duke University library. The bacon was fried, not raw. Maybe someone was saving it for later?


False Teeth



One librarian found a complete set of false teeth in the dentistry section, writing, "Found a full set of false teeth once, but as they were expertly filed in the dentistry section I prefer to see it as a situationist art prank."


An X-Rated Flipbook



A middle school librarian posted the following humorous anecdote on the LibraryThing chat board:

"Last night one of the librarians in my department (Children's ) found that someone had taken one of the small sticky-note pads off our desk and left it on one of our tables. When she went to retrieve it she saw that the person had drawn a picture on the top one. Then she took a closer look--and discovered that someone had used the pad to create an entire X-Rated flipbook featuring a very well-endowed naked woman! The quality of the drawing indicates it was done by a kid. Seems one of our middle-schoolers is a budding artist..."


Condoms



Multiple librarians have said they've found condoms and condom wrappers, either amongst the shelves or in the book drop. One of the choicest stories - "We've also found condoms, mostly in the bookdrop, including one that was tied off and full of liquid."