Workers try to keep seasonal bugs from infesting facilities

By OLIVER GOOD

Staff writer

Hillsboro Public Library recently requested patrons that refrain from visiting the library if they are sick.

“Please excuse us from being ‘germ-a-phobes’ but it’s getting to be that time of year again,” library director Cathy Fish said to patrons online. “If you or your children are sick enough to stay home from school or work, don’t come into the library. We want staff and our patrons to be healthy.”

The library’s shared materials and public location make it an opportune location for germs to attack human targets.

Fish said many patrons have told staff about colds that they or their children are experiencing but still come to a public place where germs easily be spread.

Over the last week, Fish has noticed about five or six sick people per day who visit the library.

“We just had a deluge for a while, they have that deep, croupy cough,” she said. “We don’t spray right away but we clean the area they were in after they leave.”

To deter the spread of germs, Fish said staff uses a hospital-grade disinfectant spray and towel wipes on anything sick patrons may have encountered

“We wipe down books, videos, and other materials as well as the keyboards, countertops, furniture, and other surfaces.”

However, she said they could not do anything to clean the air particles if a person has been coughing or sneezing without covering their nose and mouth.

Fish said sick patrons should call if there are materials they want. Sick patrons should also call to renew checked-out materials before the due date expires.

“We gladly renew materials if people call in a timely manner,” Fish said.

The library can be reached at (620) 947-3827.