Mom Says We Should ‘Expect More’ From Public Places After Being ‘Disgusted’ By The Conditions Of Her Local Library
"Our public library is almost brand new, but the state of the toys would say that it's been open for a million years."
Zoriana Zaitseva | Shutterstock Libraries are often thought of as family-friendly places where young children can wander designated areas for story time and free play. It would stand to reason that the children's section of local libraries would be havens for frazzled moms looking for fun things to do with little ones, but that's not always the case.
When mom and pilates instructor Kenz, @pilateswithkenz on TikTok, brought her son to their local library, she was appalled by what she found.
"I was absolutely disgusted on the cleanliness," she said. "The toys were filthy."
The mom insisted that we should ‘expect more’ from public places after being ‘disgusted’ by the conditions of her local library.
Kenz first wiped down a toy that her young son put in his mouth but soon realized that the entire area and all of the toys were very dirty. Distressed, she immediately took matters into her own hands and cleaned the area herself.
"The wipes that I was using turned black almost instantly," she recalled. "I couldn't stop there, and started to clean some of the high-traffic toys, and I was just grossed out. "
“I went up to the attendant, who was just sitting there by the way, to ask how often these toys were being wiped down,” Kenz continued. “She said they're sanitized nightly.”
The mom was not satisfied with that response, insisting that the toys should be wiped down every couple of hours.
“Our public library is almost brand new, but the state of the toys would say that it's been open for a million years,” she stressed. “This grime isn't just a day's worth of grime. This has to be weeks and weeks of dirt build-up.”
“I really feel like we should expect more from our public places, especially the ones that are designated specifically for small children to play,” she added. “You know they're inevitably putting things in their mouth. Even if you sanitize them, this dirt and grime is absolutely unacceptable.”
Many commenters felt it wasn't the librarian's job to clean up.
Although Kenz referred to the library employee as an "attendant," many commenters believed that they were likely a librarian and insisted it wasn't the librarian's job to disinfect the toys.
"I clean a local library. The librarian's job is not to clean. It’s to stock books, prepare programs, etc.," one commenter wrote.
Dmytro Zinkevych | Shutterstock
"I can tell you that could absolutely be a day's worth of grime," a teacher added in the comments. "I can fully wipe and sanitize everything in a room and a few hours into the next day it will absolutely be that dirty.
Others encouraged Kenz to volunteer as libraries require volunteers to function efficiently.
"I'm certain there is a volunteer interest form on your library's website," one user wrote. "By all means, be the change you wish to see."
According to the American Library Association, volunteers are vital to the operation of libraries because more support becomes available for routine tasks — such as wiping down toys — customer services, and supplemental expertise.
While it's reasonable to be upset with the level of cleanliness, efforts should be directed toward advocating for more support and funding for public libraries.
Libraries are free resources for the public and need to be taken care of. While it's important for children to have sanitized spaces to play, libraries often don't have enough staff or resources to take care of such things effectively.
If you want to support your local library, Abby, a Virginia-based librarian on TikTok, suggested joining volunteer groups, voting with your library in mind, and, most importantly, getting your library card.
"If your library is one that might rely on budget testimonies, you can go to budget hearings and testify on behalf of the library and just talk about how great they are and how much you appreciate their services," she added. "That is something that the government typically will take into account when they are designing the budget."
If all else fails, she recommended simply asking library staff directly how you can help.
Sahlah Syeda is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news, and human interest topics.