librarian.net

I don’t really know what to make of this news article, except that a lot of people sent it to me. In Seattle it was easier to deal with patrons who smelled because there was a place where homeless people could take showers right up the road. You could refer people there if they had odors that bothered others. I think this quote is the telling one.

A strict code of conduct, officials argue, is needed to ensure one patron’s right to use a public library doesn’t infringe on the rights of another.

Maybe it’s just me, but after reading this article, doesn’t this seem like what they meant to say:

A strict code of conduct, officials argue, is needed to ensure one normal patron’s right to use a public library doesn’t infringe on the rights of another not-normal patron. [emphasis mine, of course]

I have this to say about smelliness. I was in a bad car accident a few years ago and was taken to the hospital. I had been on my way back from camping and was neither looking nor smelling my best. I was not planning on getting in an accident. When I was released [and I was fine, thanks for asking] I got my records from the hospital and they noted my appearance as “tattooed, unshaven, smelly.” Not “unwashed” but “smelly.” I can’t help thinking, as I did then, whether this observation affected the quality of my care.