[Web4lib] CAN LIBRARIES BE SOURCE OF CONTAMINATION?

[Tim Spalding]

I'm something of a germ freak and the thing that gets me are the clear
plastic wraps that some libraries put around their books. Being clear,
they make every fingerprint and stain all the more apparent, and,
whether from use, age or heat, they get *sticky*.  I can't imagine
they protect the book that much and, to me at least, they communicate
"this isn't a normal book, it's worse."

Off to wash my hands ten times, standing on one leg.

Tim

On 8/22/07, Pons, Lisa (ponslm) <PONSLM at ucmail.uc.edu> wrote:
> Personal anecdote:
>
> My father was a virologist, and worked especially with the flu virus and
> Aids viruses. He worked with Nobel Prize winners (including one who
> developed polio vaccine). He said that over use of soaps and sanitizers
> to destroy germs could (to somehwat oversimplify) result in superbugs,
> as well as mutations. He did encourage us to wash our hands and such,
> but, as you said in your statement, a little exposure was not
> necessarily a bad thing.
>
> FWIW...
>
> Lisa Pons-Haitz
> University of Cincinnati
>
>
>
> > But, there are some who argue that trying too hard to live in
> > a germ free environment makes people more likely rather than
> > less likely to get sick because a person's body has no
> > opportunity to develop immunity by gradual exposure. An
> > example of this is the school/daycare experience. A child's
> > first year in daycare or school is usually full of minor
> > illnesses; then it slows or stops because the child has
> > developed immunities to the common "germs". Here is an
> > article that covers this topic relating to children and
> > allergies-
> > http://www.usc.edu/hsc/info/pr/hmm/00-01winter/germs.html . I
> > have read loads of material over the years presenting this
> > view point with regard to living in general. Does anyone have
> > better access to journal articles about this?
> >
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