Tag Archives: Duluth Public Library

Communication

Bookbugs? Duluth public library suffers bedbug infestation, has to be shut down temporarily

Bed bug, Cimex lectularius

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.”

Click here to read the rest of this article!

General, Public

The Trouble with the Duluth Public Library’s Seed Program

SeedlingWhat’s going on at the Duluth Public Library?  “In September, the library got a surprise visit from a Minnesota Department of Agriculture seed inspector,” Dan Kraker writes.  Kraker, of MPR News, reported on the turn of events earlier this month.  The library’s seed-sharing program “allows members to borrow vegetable seeds from the library in the spring and later return seeds they collect from their gardens.”  The program, however, violates Minnesota state law because it doesn’t test the seeds that are distributed.  Libraries across the country have found themselves in similar positions, but Steve Malone, a supervisor of the Plant Protection Division of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, wants to work with the library.  “Our enforcement of this is to try to coach and bring them along, rather than just come in and blast them,” Malone said.

You can check out Kraker’s full article here.

UPDATE: Duluth council calls for free seed exchanges

More on seed libraries: Not Your Garden-Variety Library

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/q3vaodr, licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0