LIBRARY BOOKS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 477, 8 April 1909, Page 4

LIBRARY BOOKS.

HOW TO PREVENT INFECTION. . A report from tho District Health Officer (Dr. Frengley), embodying details of a schomo for tho satisfactory disinfection oi library books, was read at last night's meeting of tho City Council. It was recommended by the Libraries' Committee that the proposals bo adopted, and the tha'nks i)f the Council bo conveyed to Dr. Frengloy for his valuable services. It was pointed out by Dr. Frengley that there were four parties to be considered in the adoption of any system of precautionary control. These wore as . under: Tho borrower; the librarian; the District Health Officer; and the disinfecting officer. What should tho borrower bo asked to do? His attention should bo drawn to a notice to bo pasted inside tho cover of every book, and also exhibited in the libraries on prominent placards. No person should be porniitted to return any book which had been exposed to infection, unless it were accompanied by an ollicial certificate indicating that, it had been fumigated. Tho librarian should satisfy himself of tho advisability of lending any book to a person living in a house in which there whs a notifiable infectious disease. In tho event of a. book having escaped any of tho precautions it should be tho duty, of tho librarian to at once communicate with tho District Hcaltli Officer. To bo of any. real value, copies of notifications of infectious disease- should be sent to public and private libraries, Sunday school libraries, and other book collections, and all cases within a considerable area must bo notified. It' was possible that tho notifications might bo routinely received, and almost automatically filed away. Numerous other .difficulties would readily suggest themselves. Much more practical and reasonable aid could be given by tho District Health Officer. It should be-his duty to instruct his inspectors U.- ask at infected premises if there were any library books there. Stops ought then to ho taken to have any bonks found on the premises disinfected, and tho occupants of the house should bo earnestly requested to abstain from tho ,use of any library until all dangor of infection was past.

It was the opinion of Dr. Frengloy that the decision as to whether any book be destroyed or not should bo left ..with tho librarian—tho custodian of tho particular book or books concerned. A -certificate from an inspecting officer who had seen the conditions existing at the infected house where ,t!ie book was found would be in the hands 'df' tho librarian. It was not necessary to disinfect books returned ffom uon-infected houses before resencling into circulation. Such a procedurft he would be inclined to typify as public health hysteria'. He desired to express his thanks to the.Chief Librarian, Mr. Baillie, for tho opportunities to peruso various fornis "used in America regarding the lending of books and their infection. In conclusion ho had to Bay that while the precautionary steps set forth might seem somewhat elaborate, yet their actual practice would not be irksome- to anyone, and for this very potent reason—tho number of infectious diseases to bo dealt with per week in and around Wellington was, comparatively speaking, small. , ,- The- council approved tho recommendations.