Book Sniffing like a pro

Anyone but a librarian would be shocked to find out that I like to sniff books. It's like any crack addiction, you just can't resist. What do I sniff? The glue. Or perhaps it's the pages that smell so nice. There's just something about that new book smell that's intoxicating to me.

As a children's librarian, I am responsible for ordering all new children's and young adults books for the library. When they come in and after they are processed, they are brought to my office. My job is to check them and make sure they are processed correctly and given a call number that best fits our library. I also read a few pages so that I am familiar with the book, thus expanding my knowledge of what is available in our collection in case a patron would ask.

My confession is this, though this task serves an imporant purpose, I often feel like Homer Simpson in Dunkin Donuts when the new books are brought to me. The glossy book covers, bright, attractive colors, new, crisp stickers, and unexplored (and unsniffed) pages are more appealing to me than a chocolate-covered doughnut!