Well, the books may be organized in their proper places on the bookcases, but it's what patrons do with the books that make them messy. You'd be surprised by the condition in which some books get returned to us. Coffee stains, scribbles, water damage, food, unknown sticky stuff, and sometimes brown stuff that we hope isn't what we think it is.
Besides books, we find other things that are messy in the library. The tables occasionally have drops of coffee, soda, and whatnot on them. The pillows in the kids' room sometimes have dribble. The computer keyboards are full of germs from kids and adults who don't use tissues when they sneeze or cough. And don't get me started on the computer passes. It's just a few yards between the desk and the computer lab, yet I'm amazed what people do with the passes during that short journey: putting them in their mouths and getting whatever else on them that we don't want to know about.
I and my library colleagues do our best to keep the library, its materials, and its equipment clean. We're armed with Clorox Wipes and Swiffer Dusters, and we're not afraid to use them. It's a HUGE help, though, when our patrons do their their part to take care of the library. When you check out materials, treat them as if they're your materials because they are that: YOUR materials. Be careful not to share your delicious lunch with them--books don't like to eat, and they don't like taking baths just because you do. And please use tissues and sanitizer to help keep equipment clean and prevent others from catching your cold.
If we all take care of the library and do our best to keep it clean, we can all enjoy it and its great materials for a long time to come.
Hard at work sanitizing the perch.
No comments:
Post a Comment