PANAJI: Goa’s storehouse of knowledge has over 2.8 lakh books. The individual cleaning of these texts, which also includes a rare book section besides those from the pre-liberation era, is a herculean task.
With a lot of spare time on their hands and no readers these days, the staff at the Goa state central library at Patto keeps itself busy cleaning books and shelves.
“Disinfectant solution is being sprayed on the shelves after they’re emptied. The books which are kept aside are wiped with a cloth oneby-one and pages are dusted with a fine brush. Even Kindle readers are being cleaned with sanitisers,” Carlos Fernandes, the curator of the library said.
The public library and all the other town as well as district libraries associated with it have been closed for over a month. The staff at the Patto-based library however resumed duties with a skeletal staff. Readers are not yet allowed to enter the premises to rent, refer or return any books.
With the state seeing a possibility of extending the lockdown, the library will continue to remain closed, while the library staff busies itself with cleaning, hygiene and establishing social distancing norms when it opens up. After the lockdown restrictions endand the doors of the library finally open, books will be sanitised after they are returned.
“Items that are returned will be cleaned and then quarantined for a period of 10-15 days. They will be wiped again and returned to the shelf. The library will adhere to state recommendations and guidelines before opening,” Fernandes said.
When the library transitions back to regular services, there will be some limitations. For instance, there will no access to the Kindle readers, computers and study rooms. The mobile library which used to move from village to village will not run until further notice.
With a lot of spare time on their hands and no readers these days, the staff at the Goa state central library at Patto keeps itself busy cleaning books and shelves.
“Disinfectant solution is being sprayed on the shelves after they’re emptied. The books which are kept aside are wiped with a cloth oneby-one and pages are dusted with a fine brush. Even Kindle readers are being cleaned with sanitisers,” Carlos Fernandes, the curator of the library said.
The public library and all the other town as well as district libraries associated with it have been closed for over a month. The staff at the Patto-based library however resumed duties with a skeletal staff. Readers are not yet allowed to enter the premises to rent, refer or return any books.
With the state seeing a possibility of extending the lockdown, the library will continue to remain closed, while the library staff busies itself with cleaning, hygiene and establishing social distancing norms when it opens up. After the lockdown restrictions endand the doors of the library finally open, books will be sanitised after they are returned.
“Items that are returned will be cleaned and then quarantined for a period of 10-15 days. They will be wiped again and returned to the shelf. The library will adhere to state recommendations and guidelines before opening,” Fernandes said.
When the library transitions back to regular services, there will be some limitations. For instance, there will no access to the Kindle readers, computers and study rooms. The mobile library which used to move from village to village will not run until further notice.
Coronavirus outbreak
Trending Topics
LATEST VIDEOS
More from TOI
Navbharat Times
Featured Today in Travel
Quick Links
Kerala Coronavirus Helpline NumberHaryana Coronavirus Helpline NumberUP Coronavirus Helpline NumberBareilly NewsBhopal NewsCoronavirus in DelhiCoronavirus in HyderabadCoronavirus in IndiaCoronavirus symptomsCoronavirusRajasthan Coronavirus Helpline NumberAditya ThackerayShiv SenaFire in MumbaiAP Coronavirus Helpline NumberArvind KejriwalJammu Kashmir Coronavirus Helpline NumberSrinagar encounter
Get the app