Did you know that it is our duty to test and tag all electrical tools that are lent out?
We have a wonderful volunteer, Gus, who does this and has done so since we’ve opened. He’s not very well known in the library community as he often comes in at night to test and tag, unseen and unheard.
Every 3 months he tests every item that has an electrical socket, making sure that it is safe for all our members to use. This involves first doing a visual inspection of the item to make sure there’s no visible damage and then testing it using testing equipment that the library has invested in. Records are kept and the appliance is tagged if it has passed testing.
Items that do not pass testing are not included in our inventory. We test all electrical items including new items that come straight out of the box, as they can sometimes carry faults and don’t pass the test. Who would have thought?!
For any item that carries a fault, we take it to the Repair Cafe to see if anything can be done to fix it. The Repair Cafe is a wonderful community organisation providing volunteers who are trained in looking at most items and seeing how they can best be repaired. An incredible resource for this day and age.