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Of the more than 12,000 books at the Elgin Community Library, approximately 300 of them have gone through the book sterilizer. Elgin is the first library in the state to own the $4,900 device. The sterilizer was made possible through ARPA funds via the City of Elgin. Photo by Curtis Awbrey
ELGIN – Many patrons have noticed a new device at the Elgin library.
About a month ago, the library received a book sterilizer from International Library Services.
“Ours is the first one in Oklahoma,” said Durham.
The sterilizer uses “UV-C UVGI (ultraviolet germicidal irradiation) light and high air pressure” to sanitize “up to six books at a time in 30 seconds,” the company’s website states. With a $4,900 price tag, plus shipping, the machine “is known to kill bed bugs, lice, and mites; eliminate mold and mildew, and kills COVID-19 and pathogenic bacteria,” according to the manufacturer.
When Durham started with the library in 2011, one of her first goals was to clean all the books in the library, she said. “We continue that to this day,” she added. “When I found this, I believed it was a good fit for our cleaning protocol.”
Of the more than 12,000 book that line the shelves of the library, Durham estimates that approximately 300 books have been sterilized so far.
The sterilizer was made possible through American Rescue Plan Act funds via the City of Elgin.