Cyprus University of Technology (Tepak) announced on Friday the purchase of two book sterilisers that will help make lending safer in the face of Covid-19.

Both sterilisers are already in use, with one installed at Tepak’s Vasilis Michaelides Library and the other one at the Municipal University Library in Limassol.

In accordance with international practices, library books must be quarantined for 48 hours after they are returned, but the use of book sterilisers will allow libraries to skip this time-consuming step, Tepak library director Marios Zervas said.

“With the use of this new equipment, books will be able to return to shelves almost immediately,” he said.

The devices work using UVC light and can sterilise up to eight books in just 30 seconds, eliminating the need to quarantine the books and making lending safer.