[Web4lib] CAN LIBRARIES BE SOURCE OF CONTIMINATION?

[saleem akhtar]

Hi collective wisdom 

 

Can libraries become source of contamination? Many people borrow books from
library and they all have different hygiene levels. For instance they may
not wash their hands, after nature's call, and with same dirty hands flip
through library books.  

 

Some people carelessly/intentionally can leave all sorts of dirt or germs on
library books, do we have or can we think of any safeguard against this
health hazard to library staff and other patrons, who may borrow the same
books later? Can this be reason why medical professionals don't visit
libraries often?

 

Further, please read following article written by an ENT specialist on WEB
MD, which started me thinking on these lines. 

 

http://blogs.webmd.com/all-ears/2006/06/dirty-places-part-3-your-doctors.htm
l

 

Please press ctrl and click and not enter key. Or paste the link in your
browser's window.

 

 

The doctor concerned in this article recommends avoiding reading magazines
etc. in doctor's waiting room, because of possible contamination and hence
advice people to bring their own reading material and toys for children,
etc. 

 

By this standard the libraries should be extinct? This doctor has counted
"dirty dozen", the dozen dirty places to be careful about for possible
disease catching places. Most of these places are public, why then, he did
not mention libraries? 

 

What do you think about this article/matter?

 

Regards

Saleem

Glasgow, Scotland