[Michlib-l] Replies to ...cigarette smoke-tinged books

[Jean Fellows]

We have a "stank box" for cig smoked and use it regularly.
Interleaving book pages with baking soda and sealing in a ziplock bag helps
too.

On Tue, Mar 4, 2025 at 1:04 PM aldenlib--- via Michlib-l <michlib-l at mcls.org>
wrote:

> Thanks to those who responded to my questions, 12 of you in all. Some
> asked me to share the replies, so here goes.
>
> TO CHARGE OR NOT TO CHARGE FOR DAMAGE
>
> Many librarians told me they regard smells as the cost of doing business,
> and if the item is not damaged and can be put back on the shelf after
> treatment, they don't talk to the patron or charge them. Good advice!
>
> Clare Membiela said, "I think this could be covered under your damaged policy – unless it can be remediated. Is it possible to remove the
> odor?" Many of you told me it is possible; here's how:
>
> METHODS
>
> Many people put the smelly item in a closed plastic box with kitty litter,
> for a day to up to a week. Tracy Logan, Cadillac Wexford Public Library
> Director, goes a bit further, with good success: "A deodorizing tank can
> be made using a Rubbermaid tub with a tight fitting lid, kitty litter
> (clay), a cardboard box, and tape. Place a layer of kitty litter in the
> box. Clean the book's cover in your usual way. Put the books in the
> cardboard box and tape the box completely shut so litter can't get in. Set
> the cardboard box with books inside on the kitty litter and cover the
> cardboard box with another layer of kitty litter. Put the lid of the tub
> back on and let the items sit for 2-3 days depending on the strength of the
> smells. "
>
> Kelsey Rutkowski of Indian River Area Library says they use an Arm &
> Hammer moisture absorption & odor elimination bucket from Walmart in a
> sealed plastic tote and "put dryer sheets over each item and sometimes
> between pages depending on how large the books are".
>
> Andrea Estelle, director of Otsego District Public Library, says they stick
> a dryer sheets in the pages and put them in a Ziploc bag in the freezer for
> a week; another librarian emphasized unscented sheets to protect future
> readers with scent sensitivities.
>
> Many responders open the books on a flat surface to air. Jessica Holman,
> Negaunee Public Library director "prefer[s] to wipe down the cover and
> stick the books in front of a fan in sunlight until the smell dissipates."
>
> Candace Mahoney of Salem South Lyon District Library replied, "We have a
> 'fumigation chamber' which is a large Rubbermaid tote that has a layer of
> Gonzo odor absorbing rocks on the bottom, topped with a plastic mesh grid.
> That setup occupies maybe the bottom 2 inches of the tub. We set the books
> into the bin on top of the mesh, with their pages fanned out a bit. The
> smoky smell is usually gone within a few days. We have a laminated sheet on
> top and a dry erase marker which we use to record which titles went in on
> which dates so they can be checked and reshelved."
>
> Meredith Sommers of Bayliss Public Library referred to the items being "at the spa" during fumigation :)
>
> Hope this information is useful!
> Susan Riegler
>
>
> ------
> Hello all,
>
> A patron returned five books today that smell pretty smoky. This is the
> third time in a few months. There's nothing in our policy that deals
> with this directly. A circulation policy states: Materials damaged or
> lost by a patron must be replaced by the patron.
>
> Have you dealt with this before? Have you talked to the patron, which I
> will do; and when, if you do so, do you declare the item damaged and the
> patron responsible for paying for the item/s?
>
> Thanks!
>
> --
> _Susan Riegler_
>
> Susan Riegler, Director
>
> Alden District Library
>
> 231/331-4318
>
> --
>
> *Susan Riegler*
>
> Susan Riegler, Director
>
> Alden District Library
>
> 231/331-4318
>
>
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>


-- 
Jean Fellows
Programming Coordinator
Grand Ledge Area District Library
131 E. Jefferson St.,
Grand Ledge, MI 48837
517-627-7014

*The Grand Ledge Area District Library is situated on ancestral,
traditional and contemporary lands of the Anishinaabeg – Three Fires
Confederacy of Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi peoples-- land ceded in the
1819 Treaty of Saginaw.*
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