Wednesday 16 September 2020

Pick and mix books.

Good morning. The mobile library came yesterday, this is Stan's first week out since about March April time. Can't remember when the plague first started, it seems like ages ago. Stan has now turned into a long haired hippy, it suits him. 
It was nice to see him again. We chatted, him stood inside the van at the top of the steps, me stood on the tarmac a good distance away. It seems the library staff weren't given much notice about how this new system of lending books was going to work. They haven't been able to do all the preparation needed. Stan has to ring all the customers to ask what their preferred reading matter is. He compiles a list and a staff member of the Central Library picks a selection of books and bags them up. Stan then brings them with him on the van. 
The trouble is that the picker works part time, so is not able to fulfil the requirements of everyone. Stan has started the week with only three days of ordered books. When he goes out on Thursday and Friday, he has no books to deliver. No one can go onto the van to choose books, so technically Stan is just a delivery service. So why does he need to drag the whole caboodle, big van, around the villages? Bit silly really, he could come in a transit van. 

I got two brown paper bags, each with three books in them. I think this is a pretty good selection. I won't read them in their entirety, I never do. I pick bits out of them when I want to sit down for half an hour. 

Sometimes I would swap my books as often as weekly, but these I will keep a bit longer. If the picking lady is swamped with work, I had best be patient and not add to her already hefty workload. She might need a breather to catch up. 

When books are returned they are to be dropped into a plastic box on the table outside the van. Stan is not allowed to re issue them to someone else because they have to go back to Central and be quarantined for 72 hours, before they are put back into the system. I asked Stan if I should quarantine these books when I got home. He didn't know. 

I am not sure what I have to do when I am ready to change these. When I take them back there won't be any replacements, I assume I have to order those in advance. Perhaps I will have to wait until the following week for some more to arrive. If I return these in the two brown paper bags I was given, would they have to be quarantined as well? Will we be getting the same bags over and over again, or will they issue new bags every time? 

It's all a bit strange, seems a bit over the top to me. But as Stan explained, they have strict instructions to protect the customers and staff. Fear of anyone suing the Council because they caught something from a book, is at the heart of the new system. We shall see what happens next.

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.  ilona. 

18 comments:

  1. This is why I love my E reader. Have millions of titles easily accesible and very cheaply, not having to physically go anywehere to pick them up, no risk of contamination etc.

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    1. Stepping outside of the house and walking to the mobile library keeps me in touch with real people in a real world. It is good for my mental health to feel connected.

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  2. I don't understand either, I can go into any charity shop and handle and purchase any books I want. I just bring them home clean covers with hand gel and read when I want. I have not had any problems throughout this epidemic (touch wood)

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    1. There are lots of things we touch when we go out. As long as you have good hygiene as you say, it's not a problem.

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  3. I so agree with you Ilona, this is crazy over the top. I have abided by all the rules, mask hand sanitizer, constant hand washing but I have been buying a few books from charity shops and boot sales recently! And of course I could go into a big city book store and browse the books with no problem. Do like the book choice you got though.

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    1. People go into WH Smith and browse the books and magazines. Some even stand there and read them.

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    2. Have I misunderstood your take on the current situation re COVID? Would you have quarantined the books at home for 72 hours had Stan advised you to do so?
      Everything at the moment is such a faff but I’m still being very cautious about it all.
      Would love to know how anyone could sue the counsel though how would you know if you got COVID from the books?
      Sooo many questions I’m drivin’ meself nuts 🤷‍♀️

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    3. No I wouldn't have quarantined the books, it's a daft idea, for me anyway. I am an adult who has a fairly healthy lifestyle, not overweight, no other health problems and I will make my own mind up about what is risky and what isn't.

      The blame culture is rife. It costs the NHS millions in claims from people who believe they have been badly treated. The same with other public services, sue the police, doctors, the fire brigade, the council if they trip over a paving stone or drive over a pothole and damage their car. Sue anybody if they think they can make some money. Of course there will be some legitimate claims, where there has been definite negligence, but there will also be avoidable accidents if only the person took more responsibility for their own lives. The lawyers are raking in a fortune from such claims. Virtually nobody would be able to say they caught the plague from a library book, but that wouldn't stop them from trying to claim.

      Don't drive yourself nuts. You need to look at yourself and ask truthfully how vulnerable are you. What age are you, are you overweight, have you any other health issues? Where do you live, in a highly populated area, or in a village like me. How likely are you to come into contact with other people? Can you make a few changes to your daily life which won't impinge too much on your freedom. Everyone needs a certain amount of freedom. Then decide on the best plan of action for you.

      I haven't had a cold for a long time, several years in fact, because I keep away from germy people. Do what is advised about keeping your distance, and frequently wash your hands. Wear a mask if you feel you must, but be aware that restricting air into your lungs can have a detrimental effect on your respiratory system, if you wear one day in and day out.

      If you carry on driving yourself nuts, it will be the stress that kills you, not the virus. Stop reading mainstream news, stop watching news on the television, do something creative, keep busy.

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    4. You’re so right about stress being a killer I just need to control the anxiety. I’m average weight only eat good quality food, fairly fit, live in a quiet Cheshire village. Unfortunately any of us could catch the plague (that’s the worry) but keeping healthy should help us get over it quicker I expect.
      Reading Linda’s saga about the bread in Sainsburys you’ve got to laugh otherwise we’ll all end up in the Loony Bin :))

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    5. I want you to stop saying, any of us could catch the plague. That's a defeatist attitude, and what the Government and the media have programmed us to think. Instead say, if I don't mix with a lot of people and if I only socialise with the friends and family that I know in my bubble, there's a good chance that I possibly won't get it. And even if I do I might be lucky and have very little or no symptoms. Change a negative into a positive, and stay alert.

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    6. I know, you’re right I’m prone to negativity at the best of times I drive my poor husband up the wall. Mind you he takes the whole virus thing seriously himself but thought I was over the top sanitising all my shopping although I stopped doing that awhile ago. AND...we went and had a nice lunch in Tarporley last week sat outside it was lovely felt a bit like our ‘old life’ for a couple of hours.
      Can you send me a bottle of your positivity please ilona:)

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  4. Another load of hooey! I came across yet more fun and games today in my local Sainsbury's. They have just started slicing bread again but now its...pick your loaf from the rack...place it on the counter...stand back in the yellow and black box painted on the floor. Wait. Assistant slices the loaf then places it back on the counter. You then step forward from the said box and pick up your loaf and place it in the trolley. But...the guy wasn't wearing a mask as he was bagging up cakes and rolls, he made a big deal of putting one on before he sliced my loaf though. If he had coughed it sneezed on the other items, he wasn't wearing a mask. Life these days is like living in a crazy Alice in Wonderland world.....madness

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    1. Good grief, Linda. I couldn't be bothered with all that faff. I am happy to grab a seeded, sliced and wrapped loaf straight off the shelf.

      Jim Davidson was talking about when he took his car in the garage for servicing. He had to drop the keys into a box, they then sprayed them. When finished, in reverse, keys came back in a box and were sprayed again in front of him.

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  5. There is no reason for you to have to quarantine the books when you get them - they have already been quarantined.
    I admire the way our county libraries have handled things - Chester county, PA/USA and follow their rules. It's a simple process of having an online account, reserving what books you want, and then getting an email from the library to select a time to pick them up on the little porch, all bagged and ready. Works for me.
    Love your wonderful crafts, and appreciate your blog even if we may not agree on everything. Such is life.
    Mary

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  6. Oh some days I feel as though I can cope with it all and some days are so hard.In Leicester where I live,about 4 mile away they have the highest rate apart from Bolton.I think that Leicester will go into lockdown again,which means that I cannot support our local shops in the next village to the city where I live.People where I live,not all,but alot are still walking around without a care in the world!.We cannot ignore it here,when you have got people doing just has they like!.Big meetings,sitting together,sharing food,even loads of visitors to their houses.My Mam is 87 tomorrow and she cant get an x ray for her still painful broken wrist...done April 18th...until Jan 22nd.My Grandson has a cyst in his jawline..before the first lockdown classed as urgent as it could turn cancerous...still no appointment for the operation to remove it,which they said was needed urgently.It is so different living in a city,where the virus is growing.xx

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  7. One can "catch" lots of things from books including the knowledge virus. Other conditions include amusement, terror, imagination and personal fulfilment. Yes, books can be very dangerous. Can't be too careful.

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  8. Research now shows that it's nary impossible to catch the virus from the surface of things like groceries and such. I wonder if the same applies to books? Wearing a mask & good hand washing are really all that is needed in these virus days. ~Andrea

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