Toys with dangerous levels of lead, toxic chemicals in clothing, hazardous baby cribs — the soon-to-be-enforced Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act aims to protect children from all of them.
But library books? Unless the Consumer Product Safety Commission exempts them from the sweeping legislation, libraries nationwide could be forced to pull children’s books from their shelves or, alternately, ban children. The law is scheduled to take effect on February 10.
“You’re talking about separating children from books, which has got to be the most ridiculous thing this commission has ever attempted,” said Emily Sheketoff, executive director of the American Library Association’s Washington office. “Books are safe. They are not a dangerous product.”
Paper cuts maybe…but lead? Kansas City Star reports.
Safe
“Books are safe. They are not a dangerous product.”
Right so you will not have the CPSC after you so don’t worry about it.
Safe
“Books are safe. They are not a dangerous product.”
Right so you will not have the CPSC after you so don’t worry about it.
You’d think so
But based on one of the initial stories, they asked the CPSC to make an official statement that books were exempt and they declined to do so. If I’m remembering correctly, their legal dept said something along the lines of “We’ll have to look into that and get back to you.”
This will be an issue with storytime puppets etc too.
Although I’m more concerned about the impact on secondhand/thrift stores.
Storytime puppets
I am not sure if you are kidding or not.
The CPSC is not going to storm in and seize puppets. Lets be rational here.
Even if puppets were made illegal through CPSC regulations because of a fear of puppetitis they only have 2 people to enforce things so it will be a while before they make it to your library.
They will have to pry the puppet off my cold dead hand.
Lead inspection technology
As a librarian/landlord, I recently had to have my rental property tested for lead. The technician conducting the test told me the sampling device could penetrate 10 layers of paint detecting lead at hazardous levels. Why not bring the same technology to bear on childrens collections and pinpoint problem items only?
Overreacting lunatics
It will have little to no effect on libraries, perhpas the suppliers, but not libraries.
Libraries do not by definition sell books. Certainly there will be incidental sales of books perhaps by friends organizations or weeded books that will be sold, but those are old books and the rule will not apply to books manufactured before February 10th.
Most books in libraries are not books designed primarily for children (nor has that been adequately defined) If a book with pictures and text is geared to a one year old it is obvious that a one year old will not read it, but rather an adult will read the book to the child and thus it is not primarily designed for a child. Some of those plastic covered books that kids can play with in the tub, or those with pictures of animals and bits of fake fur with only the animal name as the text are most certainly designed for children under 12 although they are not the bulk of the library’s collection.
It is obvious that librarians and newspaper reporters fail to understand the CPSC Counsel’s letter. The sky is not falling, libraries will not have to remove any books, and the world will not come to an end.
Do we have to rehash this old tired story fortnightly, or can we wait for some authoratative guidance from someone a bit more rational that librarians that talk to newspaper reporters?
Latest news.. (I think)
The story has hit CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/01/30/lead.books/index.html?eref=rss_us
charley
watch the CPSC meeting with publishers held Jan. 22
Here…
one-year reprieve for lead testing?
http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PREREL/prhtml09/09115nord.pdf
and
CPSC Grants One Year Stay of Testing and Certification Requirements for Certain Products