This is a problem that could happen in any library! We have talked about disaster planning several times, and this is a disaster you might want to prepare for in your own library.

Check out this article excerpt:

“Bedbugs don’t only live in bedrooms.

Case in point: A staffer of the downtown Duluth Public Library discovered a suspicious-looking insect Wednesday in the upholstery of a piece of furniture.

The insect was identified later that day by a pest service as a bedbug — call it a bookbug if you like.

The building was treated Wednesday night, allowing it to reopen its doors Thursday morning.

“I hope people realize that we dealt with this as soon as we were aware of it, and we took immediate steps to eradicate it,” said Carla Powers, manager of the library services for the city of Duluth.

Although just a single bedbug initially was discovered on the first floor of the library by staff, Powers said a pest control specialist found additional bugs elsewhere in the building.

The entire building was treated on all three floors with a product called CrossFire, which is considered an effective go-to insecticide for bedbugs. It will be applied two more evenings at one-week intervals to ensure none of the bedbugs survive at any stage of development, and the library will continue to remain open during its regular hours of operation.

Powers said the treatment regimen is expected to cost $8,000 to $10,000 to complete.

“It’s my understanding that this treatment is very effective and safe,” said Powers, adding that, to her knowledge, the library will not need to dispose of any furniture.”

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