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Library Rules: No Loud Yells, No Bad Smells
Homeless advocates get into lather over hygiene policies
By Katherine Thompson
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Posted Apr 13, 09 9:31 AM CDT
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(Newser)
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Even if you haven’t been to a public library in a while you probably know the major rules: no shouting, no running, no food or drink near the books. But a rash of complaints from patrons have driven some Chicago-area libraries to institute a new prohibition: no offensive body odors. Predictably, some people are indignant, the Tribune reports.
Although the rule applies just as much to over-perfumed patrons as to those with a more natural pungency, some say the rules unfairly single out homeless people. But librarians say they would only kick someone out if other patrons are bothered by the smell—in Joliet, for example, an especially powerful body odor caused someone to vomit.