How sanitary are library books?

I have a question for librarians and library patrons. Though this may be entirely unjustifiable paranoia, I can't shake this feeling that I should wash my hands before eating after reading a library book. Is this at all grounded, or can one feel free to munch on a chicken wrap while leafing through some Douglas Adams?

I work in a library and I know that the books are not very clean, but I very much doubt that you can get any infections from them.

Books are very dry and so they are not hospitable to infectious bacteria. Viruses don't live long outside the cells, either. If somebody with a flu touches the book just before you, you can receive a dose of viruses just like you can get viruses from the door handle if such a person has touched it just before you.

Do you ever go to the fast food restaurants? Do you wash your hands before eating? I have never seen anybody to wash their hands in, say, McDonald's. They touch the door handles, money, table tops...

i think used clothing or smoking accessories would be the only thing to worry about. i also would *not* buy chemistry lab books.

Anneli is right, paper money is dirtier than books, and is heavily exchanged by drug dealers.

I always feel the same way. Paper money is lots dirtier of course, but I don't lie in bed and hold paper money very close to my face. What really puts me off is when the pages have something sticky on them...for me, someone with a relatively mild case of OCD, the question is how often that stickiness is some kind of bodily fluid. Ick!

>4 nperrin:

Well, there all kinds of people among library patrons - some of them not very pleasant. If you find something sticky between the pages of a library book it is probably some foodstuff, but it can be bodily fluids, too. There is a discussion about strange bookmarks in the group Librarians who Librarything:
http://www.librarything.com/talktopic.php?topic=4766

My mom found the paper wrapping to a pantyliner in a library book. This put me off library books for a while because I knew that at one point that book was in the bathroom and near the toilet of some woman who may or may not have washed her hands...eeeewww! I have major issues with germs and bacteria. What got me back into the library (besides grad school) was the fact that books in libraries are not ideal living places for germs. I still tend to look at th last time the book was checked out to make sure any living critters have died.

Every single one of us is already seething with bacteria. There are more of the buggers in your mouth than on your toilet seat. I've never died or gotten ill because of something caught from a library book. It has never even occurred me to have hygienic precautions for such things.

I found sixty dollars in a library book once (which I promptly returned to the librarian along with the ATM card and envelope - hope they were equally honest.) Well, enough with blowing my own horn - I'm sure the money was more germ filled than the book. Besides, I take books out of the library all the time. Funny enough, I stopped taking books out for a while, and that's when I came down with the first cold I've had in ages. Maybe library books help you build an immunity?

My grandmother won't allow my grandfather to bring library books into the house because of germs. So he reads them outside or in the car during the winter. All very silly...
Yes, I know that many people read books in the bathroom so there is a good chance a library book has had some time there, but then like everyone else has pointed out you could drive yourself crazy trying to figure out all the germs you are picking up on a daily basis. I wonder how many germs I picked up reading my library books while riding the NYC subway :)

You know, of course, that the average workplace keyboard is germier than the average workplace toilet.

*looks down on her keyboard*
Ick!
I think I am going to read one of the books I brought home from the library today.
I never considered library books dirty (unless they actually were dirty/sticky, then I just wiped them, but that rarely happens, the librarians catch those before handing them out again).

How dare you suggest that books can be dirty!

Unless of course you're reading a dirty novel.

O.K. that's my joke of the month!

I've definitely found hairs in library books, long and... short ones. And bits of food. Maybe that I why I tend to gravitate to the new books section at my library. That way I often get the first crack at a book that is as yet untainted.

When we bring library books home, we go over the covers with dish detergent or Formula 409 or something. Now that Ms. Pawcatuck has a trach, we've gotta be pretty careful. I'm more worried about mold, but maybe that's because I've always been able to identify whatever it is people leave in library books....

409 or Fantastick or however they spell that stuff makes the covers look newer. I like to think we're doing our part to help cheer up the library :)

#13, my pets like to rub up against books. so a few hairs probably get into the library books.

i try to treat library books like they were being read in a library e.g. no smoking.

I haven't worried about sanitary conditions of books themselves. What I don't like about library books are those where a previous reader has either highlighted or underlined words, phrases, and even worse, sentences and paragraphs.

Anothe beef is where the library has covered the endpapers with book card envelope. This is particularly bad, if the front and back endpapers are different. Or, if the only map in the book are found with the endpapers. Sometimes the plastic book cover also gets in the way.

Books that have lived with smokers smell kinda like Crackerjack!

Thanks very much to everyone. I now realize there are better things to worry about than what's living in my library rentals. Even though handling money does still terrify me...

I know a few people who refuse to read library books for that reason: bacteria.

(Personally, I love libraries, and have no choice but to use them if I want to keep reading. Books aren't cheap! New books, anyway.)

Oh, god, I just remembered this -- and I should have posted this in the "what's the strangest thing you've found in a library book thread," but speaking of hair, I found an entire nest of hair in John Robbins's Reclaiming Our Health. My guess is someone was reading it while he was getting a haircut?

The books with blood on the pages are creepier, though, or those gauzy tan smears. (Don't even want to know.)

QUOTEWhat I don't like about library books are those where a previous reader has either highlighted or underlined words, phrases, and even worse, sentences and paragraphs./QUOTE

the odd thing is seeing pages where half the words are highlighted. apparently people are cramming for tests rather than critically reading the "text".

Re: dirty keyboards

Anyone ever take the time to turn there keyboards upside down and shake them out onto a desk or whatever ... ?

I had a nosebleed once while reading, and dripped one perfect drop right into the gutter of the novel.

...I've been waiting for that book to appear in the "for sale" rack ever since, because I feel absolutely awful about what happened (but not bad enough to tell the librarian).

EDIT: Before anyone asks, I did at least wipe the spot with alcohol. Though that did nothing for the creepy stain...

Tips:

(1) Wrap a library book's covers with a thick paper wrapper before reading it.

(2) If the book covers are dirty and soiled, before wrapping with a thick paper wrapper, clean it with a damp cloth and let it dried.

(3) Check between the pages of book for foreign matter such as human hair, ear wax, nose dirt, food stains, bread crumbs and anything you can least expected.

(4)Do not read the library book on your bed, the book is not 100% germ-free. Use a sanitiser and spray the book lightly at a distance evenly, it will not get the book real damped.

(5) After each reading, wash both your hands throughly with soap before touching your skin or eating your meals.

(6) If the library book is really "filthy" and "unhealthy" to handle it, forgo the borrowing of the book. Look for a better copy elsewhere in a different public library branch.

> 23

If the library book is really dirty, you should notify the library staff so they can remove that book.

AAAK! Now i'll be afraid of one of my favorite places!!!!!

actually you should wash your hands after handling anything that is shared by others. People in general don't wash their hands as often as they should, and I rarely use the sink in a public restroom, choosing to use Purell from my purse instead.

Excuse me while I wash my hands... for the millionth time today!

Perhaps one should consider buying a suit like this for library visits:

http://www.nobeliefs.com/washingtonnews/bio-suit.gif

To msg 28: Good suggestion, where there is an epidemic and the public library is still open for business. We need to wear this special suit to enter the library. I am just joking. Ha,ha,ha.

To msg 24: Are the librarians sympathetc and caring about this kind of complaint ? THEY are more interested that the books are not being vandalised.

I work in a library and I have to say that the books get Very dirty. We clean up the worst ones (sticky food, etc.) but we do not have time to clean the majority of materials. However, simply washing your hands after reading should take care of most potential problems.

I think that parents of young children will probably want to take further measures. I have seen many board books go directly into a little one's mouth upon checkout. Just please do not clean the books in ways that might cause water damage. Thanks.

P.S. to lampbane/post #22: So You're the one! ;-)

#23: Well, I have to admit that I have better things to do with my time than worrying about the germs or not-germs on a library book... I'll follow pollysmith's advice in #26, rather than disinfecting library books.
GFI, who didn't die from drinking from a puddle in the street while a toddler, and who hasn't been sick for two years, despite being a regular customer at the library.

#22, lampbane: Was it a mystery, at least? :-D

There are worse things than death.. say a flesh-eating virus.

I wonder where the Bubble Boy got his reading material from.

I've been following this thread with a bit of a smile as this has not been an issue I've thought about. It is creepy to get a yucky book but there is something nice about one that has seen some wear and pleasure in the hands of another reader. However, it occurs to me that those of us who are concerned about germs on library books can nuke them for a few seconds. That should take care of things. I do that with vegetable peels before I add them to my basement worm compost bin to take care of fruit flies.

#32: Actually, if I recall correctly, it was a hardcover of All Tomorrow's Parties.

#35 I hadn't thought of that! I used to have this weird compulsion where I put dropped bottlecaps in the microwave for a few seconds before I screwed them back on. Even if it wasn't enough to kill germs, it was enough to quell my worries about them. I'll have to do some wiki-research regarding the actual bacteriocidal abilities of microwaves. But I may just follow your suggestion from now on.

Advice from a nurse who has read the studies: wash your hands frequently and properly; wash your hands frequently and properly; wash your hands frequently and properly, then just relax and enjoy it (the book, that is!).

Peace,
Kathi

Eeeek! I was recently on a flight and the guy in front was reading the inflight magazine. He needed to sneeze and, since he was holding the mag with both hands, couldn't/wouldn't reach for a tissue or hanky, so he just held the open mag up to his face and sneezed violently right into it about 3 times. Later, when he'd finished reading it, he put the mag back in the seat pocket for the next (unsuspecting) passenger, who I just hope wasn't the type who liked to lick his/her fingers to turn the pages. Yuck!! :(

#39, Well, by the time the next passenger sat down in that spot, the viruses would already have been dead (I don't believe they can exist longer than a few minutes outside a human body, let alone hours). Still, the guy didn't listen, when his mom told him how to use a hankie.

I recently took a book out from the local library, and trapped between most pages was dried out tobacco weed...
I'm pretty sure that there was enough there to collect it together and make my own roll-up...

#35 Heh heh. Microwaving library books. The anti-theft strips might kill your microwave though.

FWIW, in my personal life, I'm an anti-anti-bacterial person -- that which doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. (Professional life, different story altogether.)

I work in a library at the circulation desk. I've seen some pretty gross things-bugs, food, pee soaked books. I usually don't check out a book unless its brand-spanking new. I never had a problem like that until I started working at a library. I'm also a wee bit obsessive compulsive! O.K. O.k. I can't leave my house without checking the iron and the stove 3 times!

#35 - say that after a heart attack...

Point taken, chocolatedog and horuskol. The suggestion to microwave a book was half tongue-in-cheek and half serious. I personally don't worry too much about germs.

I don't believe microwaving a book would do any good against germs anyway. They are far too small to be affected by the waves, and if you made the book hot enough to kill them, surely it would seriously damage the book.

microwaves will kill germs - that's part of the cooking process...

but you're right that it won't do the book much good - probably the binding glue will melt out, and then you'd have a right mess in there...

Hmmm..I've never thought of how sanitary library books are. Like other people have pointed out, we encounter germs everywhere we go so what's one more germ on a library book?=) I never get sick (I haven't gotten a cold in over 2 years), and I check out a lot of library books so I imagine if you have good hygeine, reading a library book won't hurt you much. Though now that I've heard all these stories, it'll make me think twice when I'm reading that library book.lol.

Slightly geeky answer for the microwave people.

Microwaves will effect bacteria because they contain water molecules and it's those that the microwave excites to cook things. It is less likely to be effective against viruses as they are much smaller, and contain less if any water....

You really don't want to heat your book upto the point where its hot enough to kill things that way. The paper in the middle is likely to char before the edges get hot enough, its not like you can stir it!

Back to your regular discussion.

I just now sent an enquiry to "Ask An Epidemiologist" at the Johns Hopkins School Of Public Health regarding the possibility of getting sick from handling library books. I'll post the answer if one is forthcoming.

tropics that is so cool! I love the internet.

I don't use the library much lately, but I feel the same way about buying used books -- I usually pass on them if they look too battered or grimy...

Apropos #50:
In the meantime, believe the people here who say they have been handling dirty books (er ... perhaps I should say "soiled") all their lives without ill effect - the risk is minimal. Mostly, something that wants to live in a human body needs to find one pretty quickly, There are exceptions, such as anthrax, but mostly, getting ill from a library book is like getting syphilis from a toilet seat.

>49 reading_fox: reading_fox

Slightly off-topic, but perhaps you can answer....
I nuke fruit and veggie scraps to avoid fruit flies in my indoor vermicompost bin. I only "cook" for three or five seconds. Why does this work?

#53 CEP
Not addressed to me but ...

1. Are you sure that it does work? Do you really get fewer fruit flies with nuking than without, or is it just confirmation bias? Fruit flies are very good at finding ripe fruit. Is your bin so well sealed that they can't squeeze in after the scraps are in?

2. Your scraps are quite large. The microwave have wavelength about 10cm in air and significantly less in water, food, etc, so there should be no problem with absorption for your scraps. It still seems surprising to me that 3 to 5 sec would be enough.

Thanks for your reply, jimroberts.

No, the bin is not tightly sealed.
The scraps are, well, scrap sized. I dice up large pieces of melon rind and the rest is generally a few square inches or less.
I'm figuring that perhaps it's just the surface of the scraps that needs the waves to kill any larva.

#53 - The fruit flies hopefully aren't present in the scraps (even as lavae) before you heat them so the microwave is having no effect on the flies.

I suspect it may be enough heating to change some of the compounds produced by rotting fruit that the flies home in on.

Just a guess.

I still haven't received a response from the Johns Hopkins School of Health (Ask An Epidemiologist) regarding the possibility of catching diseases from library books, but in the meantime, here's a site with some useful info:

http://ask.metafilter.com/38422/Can-public-library-books-harbor-bacteriaviriidis...

Up until now I hadn't taken a look at this thread, but the other day I was reading my library book and started to notice hairs stuck to the pages. As I went along I finally realized that what must have happened is the person was reading while getting their haircut. At least I think that is the most reasonable explanation for short straight hairs to be stuck the pages.

I will say that I'm an avid reader of library books and haven't come across anything too disgusting.

From an archival friend of mine

The only thing in books that is contagious is knowledge, parchment on the other hand ...

The reader who read that book is "irresponsible, selfish, and careless" kind of character. The least he or she can do is to clear the "short straight hairs" from the pages of the book. I have more shocking experience - nose wax or ear wax found in the pages of a book mixed with strands of human or "@&2!" hairs. Incredible. Horrible. Shocking.Are the exclamations I can describe.

#56 - yeah, i think the short nuke is destroying the more aromatic compounds (which are generally more reactive/volatile) which the flies would be attracted by...

still - its a good idea to empty out the kitchen bin on a regular basis :)

Well, here's more info on the nuking.

Garden tomatoes are bringing flies like crazy, even after nuking.

Composted stuff is fly-free. Same zap in the microwave, but also well-covered with shredded newpaper.

And yes, the garbage can in the kitchen is dumped regularly.