Just visited the main library in Springfield and saw a display of 'repaired' books with packing tape all over the spines.

Has anyone else had to explain to a well-meaning but clueless librarian why that's a conservation nightmare waiting to happen?

3 comments

3 Comments

harper_wright1mo ago

Honestly, I get the frustration, but sometimes that tape is all a small library's budget can handle. It's better than the book just falling apart on the shelf.

mason7281mo ago

That tape can also be a sign the book is loved to death, which is a good problem for a library to have. Maybe it even adds character, like a well worn pair of jeans. Sure, it's not pretty, but it shows the story inside is getting used. In a way, the tape is proof the library is doing its job.

wendy721d ago

My local library has a whole shelf of books held together with packaging tape, and every single one of them is checked out more than the shiny new ones... It's like the tape becomes a badge of honor, you know? I see the same thing at the diner where I go, the menus with the most stains and tape are the ones everyone fights over. That little piece of tape is actually a signal, a kind of secret code that says "this is worth your time." It's funny how we're so focused on appearances when the real value is in what's inside, whether it's a book or anything else.