Quite by accident a cup of coffee overturns and spills all over your library book.
What would you do?
1. Try to remove the stain
by washing the paper with soap and
water.
Correct! Wet book paper will begin to mold within 48 hours, especially in a warm and humid environment. Moderately wet books that have no water damage to the spine can be dried by standing them on a flat surface with the covers spread open unless the paper is coated (shiny or glossy). Each page or leaf must be interleaved with wax paper for coated paper to dry properly. The bookblock should be supported underneath so that it won't begin to pull out of the case. Gently moving air (ideally from a fan) will shorten the drying time.
3. Close the book and hope that the wet and stain won't be noticed.
4. Tell the librarian about the accidental spill and be willing to pay for any repairs.
5. Throw the book away.
Sorry, this is not the correct answer because soap and water can damage some paper and cause some inks to run. Also, wet paper is very weak and can be easily torn.
2. Absorb as much of the coffee as possible with a paper towel and stand the book up to dry.Correct! Wet book paper will begin to mold within 48 hours, especially in a warm and humid environment. Moderately wet books that have no water damage to the spine can be dried by standing them on a flat surface with the covers spread open unless the paper is coated (shiny or glossy). Each page or leaf must be interleaved with wax paper for coated paper to dry properly. The bookblock should be supported underneath so that it won't begin to pull out of the case. Gently moving air (ideally from a fan) will shorten the drying time.
3. Close the book and hope that the wet and stain won't be noticed.
Sorry, this answer is not
correct. Coated paper (shiny or glossy) will stick together
when it gets wet. If the pages dry together they will be
permanently stuck together in a solid block, thus, ruining the
book. Each page or leaf must be interleaved with wax paper for coated
paper to dry properly.
4. Tell the librarian about the accidental spill and be willing to pay for any repairs.
Correct! By all
means, tell the librarian so that appropriate repairs can be made.
This may entail making a new cover for the book.
5. Throw the book away.
Sorry, this answer is not
correct. Throwing the book away is not the solution even if
you wouldn't mind paying for a lost book because some books are rare
and cannot be replaced at any cost. It is best to consult the
librarian when a library book has been damaged while it is checked out
to you.