Dusting and Cleaning of Shelves:

These are important and indispensable routines of libraries which have to be  attended meticulously. Books have to be protected from dust and dirt. No room should be given to readers to complain about dust and dirt on the shelves.  In a library where  stack  area is very large, cleaning can be done by mechanical devices like vacuum cleaners. Shelving:  Books received from the processing sections of the  library  need to be displayed for a week or ten days on the latest additions shelf, before are taken to the stacks for shelving. This  may be a weekly activity. But  books received from borrowers must be returned to the shelves regularly, preferably the same day so that they are readily available for use by others. 

Shelf Study and Shelf Rectification: The maintenance staff at all levels in a library would do well to devote their free time to studying the books on the shelves so as to develop a fair knowledge of their contents. This knowledge is of vital importance to the efficiency of their work, particularly in their relation to the reference section. An intimate knowledge of the book collection  would be invaluable in answering reference enquiries which involves prolonged search. Books are very often misplaced on the shelves by readers who browse through them. Readers are to be strictly instructed not to replace books on shelves but still 'it may happen quite often. A book wrongly placed is as good as lost. Hence restoring order among the books is absolutely essential. This work is referred to as shelf rectification. 

Damaged Books:  Shelf study and shelf rectification would also enable the maintenance staff to identify books that need  mending, repair, rebinding, etc. Unsocial elements could also multilate books which can be discovered during shelf study or rectification. These books have to be withdrawn from circulation temporarily till they are repaired or replaced by a fresh copy if they are important.