Posted by: Keir
Surely you can’t prepare a book for shelving without opening the covers. From In the Bookroom via Galleycat (”Don’t You Dare Open That Potter“):
Tucked away in the Library Journal staff blog, there’s a small item about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, specifically about the embargo agreements Scholastic and Baker & Taylor required from potential vendors and librarians who wanted to place orders for the book last week. A sampling of the language reveals some pretty strict guidelines; if a library receives the book before July 21, and wants to process the book for its inventory, “only library employees who have been made aware of this Agreement may do so, and all such processing must take place within a secure environment… At no time may the book be handled for any other reason than to process the book for library shelving…” Man, if I were a public librarian, I’d be tempted to say, “Well, we’ve got to read it to see if it’s suitable for the children,” because that’s got to fall under processing, right?
At least they didn’t say you have to close your eyes when you’re processing the book.
