Library Kiosk: Beth McIlraith

This month the kiosk at the Humboldt County Library is featuring the work of Beth McIlraith. Beth has always loved being surrounded by books. From being read to as a child to reading to her own children, books have been an integral part of her life. She began selling books online ten years ago, and often found charming and quirky books with great covers that were unsalable.

She joined NORBAG three years ago, intrigued with the idea of making her own books. At a workshop taught by Dolores Guffey, guild members used old children's books and remade them into blank journals for the library's visiting authors event. This turned out to be the perfect blend of old and new and led to a new business for Beth: Second Chance Journals.

Her mission statement: "Our goal is to give new life to old books by rescuing them from dumpsters and recycling bins and transforming them into unique hand-stitched journals." These one-of-a-kind blank books can be used as travel diaries, wedding guest books, baby books, recipe books, dream journals and more. Beth has found turning old books into new treasures a rewarding experience.

Beth's Second Chance Journals are on Facebook as well as being available for sale on Etsy.