How did THAT happen?

Yesterday morning, I received a call from the mailroom suggesting that I come open an ILL package while it was still in their back room. When I walked in, there was the smell of diesel fuel present in the room that is at least 15'x40' with 10'+ high ceiling. The source? A book-sized box that had been placed inside a plastic bag--the ILL package. After accepting a pair of gloves, I untwisted the mouth of the plastic bag and removed the diesel-drenched box. Immediately the fumes grew stronger. After cutting the tape and opening the box, I removed the gloves to handle the book.

Though the book appeared to be undamaged--no staining or obvious warping from moisture, the cloth cover had a decidedly oily feel to it. And though by that point my senses were too filled with the fumes from the box to tell if there was the smell of diesel on the book, others said it did.

Leaving the box and the bag for the mailroom to dispose of, I took the book back to the library and placed it at the circulation desk--away from other materials. 3 hours later, walking back into the library after having gotten away for lunch, the smell hit me as soon as I walked in the door. This morning, 24 hours later, I don't notice the smell just walking into the library, but the book itself still smells very distinctly of diesel and still has a very oily feel. Just picking up the book casually for a minute leaves me with the need to wash my hands.

The library that owns the book and the student that requested the book have both been contacted. Hopefully we'll be able to return the book VERY soon and let that library decide how to best deal with the damage.