PLEASE DON’T BRUSH TEETH IN LIBRARY

Everyone is getting upset about the new cases of covid-19 surging in our once-safe city. The governor is not going to enforce mask wearing, but it looks like we’ll have to be extra careful about handwashing and other sanitary habits. Yesterday, I saw a woman brushing her teeth at the restroom sink in the public library. She didn’t appear to be homeless. Nicely dressed, fairly well groomed. Maybe she was going to a meeting and didn’t want to have bad breath. All I know is that she was spitting in the sink, and saliva can spread the coronavirus. Perhaps they should post a sign: Please don’t brush teeth in library.

Please don't brush teeth in the library. It's not sanitara. — Please don’t brush teeth in library. Spitting in the sink can spread the virus.

Etiquette wise, it’s considered acceptable for a person to brush their teeth in a public restroom. But do you want to wash your hands in a sink where someone has spit their food, saliva and germs? In fact, someone with the virus may have contaminated the entire area where you’re turning on water, and reaching for the soap dispenser.

Let’s go back and assume this person actually was homeless. Maybe she had nice clothes, and was well groomed, because she wasn’t always homeless. Perhaps she began living in her car just a couple of days ago. Anything is possible. I just know she was creating a health hazard not only for herself, but for anyone who used the sink after she did. .

It’s hard to know how to handle a situation like this. I’m not into confrontations with strangers, so I didn’t say a word. However, I didn’t care to wash my hands in that sink. So I left the restroom without doing so. Found some sanitizer at one of the desks. Wiped my hands with a Kleenex (they don’t have paper towels) as best I could and tried to avoid touching anything except the books I was checking out. Luckily, I’ve been vaccinated, so I’m not as vulnerable as some. But still. Please don’t brush your teeth in the library–or any public restroom..

July 24, 2020July 23, 2020

LIBRARY IS THE SAFEST PLACE

We haven’t eaten in a restaurant for four months. Took one trip to the doctor in Indy. Have seen a few family members. It’s a pretty dull situation when going to the grocery store is the highlight of your week. Thanks to the pandemic, life has become rather boring for those of us who aren’t in panic mode. The local library was one of the last places allowed to open, way after bars, restaurants and hair salons. Which seems odd, because our local library appears to be the safest place in town.

While they were closed, you could still order books for curbside delivery while you waited outside in your car. All returned books were “quarantined” for several days before going back in circulation. I think they’re still doing that.

When the public library finally opened a couple of weeks ago, I barely recognized the interior. All personnel wore masks. Strangely enough, it was nearly empty of patrons. Maybe four or five at any given time. You have to wonder why people would feel comfortable in bars and restaurants, but not in the library, which is spacious, modern, and has good air circulation.

Library is the safest place. Computers are spaced far apart. — Books are quarantined, and computers are spaced far apart. Library is the safest place.

They’ve made a lot of changes. There used to be about 25 computers for use. People sitting close together while tapping away. The keys were often greasy. Now, they have fewer computers which are cleaned between use. Time is limited to one hour. Free masks are provided, but not mandatory.

The biggest and most important changes are about the furniture. They’ve removed all the upholstered furniture, and large tables. Only a few stiff metal chairs and a couple of small metal tables are available. Why is this important? Because we no longer have people hanging out in the library. There’s no place to sit or lounge for hours on end. If you think that’s cruel, , let me add that a local not-for profit has opened a homeless shelter. Here, the homeless can shower, rest, and get counseling as to ways to get off the streets. This is a much needed alternative to spending the day in the library and washing your hair in the toilet. It’s a win win situation for everyone.

If you do take the risk of going to the library, you have another nice surprise in store. The best seller shelves are full of brand new books. You have lots more to pick from, even in the large print section.

Are you tired of sitting at home, playing computer games and cleaning your house? Take a trip to the library.. It’s the safest place.

June 5, 2019June 5, 2019

HOMELESS LADY WASHES HAIR AT LIBRARY

Most everyone who lives in a metropolitan area has grown accustomed to seeing homeless people at the library. We also know that soup kitchens serve hundreds of people every day. It’s a fact of life that makes us uncomfortable, because we don’t know how to deal with it But when I saw a lady coming out of the handicapped stall at the library with wet hair, it really hit me in the gut. Should a homeless lady wash her hair at the library?

Should the library allow homeless to clean up in their restrooms — SHOULD LIBRARIES ALLOW THE HOMELESS TO USE THEIR RESTROOMS TO CLEAN UP?

It wasn’t clear if she had washed her hair in the hand sink before she went into the stall, or worse yet, dunked it in the toilet. She seemed disoriented. The bathroom smelled of her dirty bags . There were food crumbs scattered all over the floor. After an initial reaction of revulsion, I was overcome with feelings of sympathy. The woman wasn’t that old—maybe fifty. She was someone’s child, granddaughter, maybe mother or wife. She was a human being in desperate need of help. And I had no idea what to do. And so, I merely smiled and left.

I couldn’t erase the scenario from my mind. What should I have done? I turned to an internet chat room (Reddit) and asked for other’s opinions. Most agreed that there was nothing I could really do, except smile and leave. Other’s felt that the library should not tolerate this type of thing because the woman could have Aids, STDS , and other infectious disease that could endanger others. Some said I should have reported it to an employee of the library.

I surfed the internet to see what other libraries do. Many cities like Seattle have specific policies and procedures for dealing with the homeless. https://www.newstatesman.com/world/north-america/2018/12/how-seattle-s-public-library-stepping-deal-city-s-homelessness-crisis Some have social workers available to help those in need.

I ‘m not sure if librarians are in a position to deal with such problems. In our town, various non profits provide homeless shelters. But shouldn’t the government bear some responsibility ? Homeless people were probably once taxpayers, maybe served our country in the military. At the very least, we should have public bathrooms where the homeless have access to showers. I know that security would be a problem, but it seems like that could be dealt with. The poet John Donne would tell us that any man’s misery diminishes us, because all of us are involved in mankind.

‘No Man is an Island’

No man is an island entire of itself; every man

is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;

if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe

is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as

well as any manner of thy friends or of thine

own were; any man’s death diminishes me,

because I am involved in mankind.

And therefore never send to know for whom

the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

John Donne, 1624