Re: Damaged Book Tales

["M. Ellen Jay" <mejay@UMD5.UMD.EDU>]

Hi,
There are a number of other odoriferous substances that books can become
covered with.  Working in a diverse ethnic community once I had a book
returned covered in what I think was lamb fat.  It obviously had gotten
too close to the food preporation process.  What had been spilled as hot
liquid had cooled to a solid white covering by the time the book was
returned.  It did have a mouth watering appeal from a distance, but left a
lot to be desired when handeling it up close.
More recently I caught an unusual glint to a book as it was slid into the
book return slot.  When I retreived it I discovered it was well coated
with sticky maple syrup.  When the little boy, who had returned it, came
back to the desk to check out another book I asked him if he had enjoyed
his pancakes for breakfast?  He was amazed I could have know what he had
had for breakfast.  At that point I took him in hand and we washed the
remaining syrup off his hands and face before signing the new book out to
him.  We also had a little conversation about keeping his books safe from
harm. This one did clean up with a little warm water as it was caught in
time.
When a little girl finally returned a long itme overdue book I asked her
where she had found it.  She told me on top of the refrigerator.  Knowing
she was much too short to have put it there I can only assume Mom put it
there to keep it safe from problems like the two described above.  Never a
dull moment.

Ellen Jay

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