[Web4lib] RE: Can Libraries be Sources of Contamination?

[Gilman, Mark]

Japan is one place where there has been a bit of an obsession with
antibacterial
products and some recent thinking on the unintended consequences
following therefrom.
Here is a quick, interesting summary of the issues:

http://web-japan.org/trends98/honbun/ntj970730.html

Regards,
Mark Gilman
 
Municipal Reference Librarian
Urban Information Center
Dallas Public Library
1515 Young St., 6th floor.
Dallas, TX 75201
214-670-1482
http://dallaslibrary.org/cgi/cui.htm


-----Original Message-----
From: web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org
[mailto:web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of saleem akhtar
Sent: Tuesday, August 21, 2007 7:11 PM
To: web4lib at webjunction.org
Subject: [Web4lib] CAN LIBRARIES BE SOURCE OF CONTIMINATION?
Importance: High


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



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