[Michlib-l] Damaged Items

[Maria Halvorsen]

Hey all, 

I'm seeking some advice on this lovely Monday afternoon. We've been
having a recurring issue with a patron damaging new items. The items are
returned with a very intense odor, staining, general discoloration, and
even small debris on the exterior of the book or in between the pages.
We have very strong reason to believe that the staining and odor is from
animal urine. 

My first instinct is to simply discard the items, since they were all
kept together in what appears to be a urine-stained bag with a very
similar odor. While some books are in better condition than others upon
return, we have some concerns about putting any of them back into the
collection. While we have the means to remedy odor, we simply don't have
a good way to sanitize them. That said, I'm not sure what the best
practice is here and I hate to lose so many new titles at once.  

Does anyone have experience with this? What are your related policies?
Any advice would be most welcome!  

Thanks in advance, 

Maria Halvorsen (She/Her) 
Fraser Public Library 
_Cataloging and Reference Librarian_ 
(586) 293-2055
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