[Sca-librarians] Bedbugs in Books!!!

[Judith A Kirk]

Acck!

This is something that's terrible to consider, but I guess we gotta, those of us who work around books for a living.

We found BEDBUGS in a book that we obtained via Interlibrary Loan for a patron, they were discovered when she brought the book back, so the actual source is not certain.

But it is CERTAIN that the book was a transport mechanism for bedbugs. Our staff found evidence of twelve (dead, adults, babies, eggs), and the exterminator who took care of the book found a total of twenty (we missed a few). We still have the book, the loaning library does not want it back (but they want money for a replacement). 

We had an all-staff meeting yesterday where this cleaned book was shared around. You could see evidence of defecation on the top and bottom of the closed book, on the pages. They were small, pin-head sized dark dots.

What's worse...that was not the ONLY book we discovered with bedbugs! We found a few more in a particular call number range in our general stacks and on our sorting shelves. I think we've identified eight books that way. We have over two million volumes in our collection.... 

Our Head of Business Operations called various academic and public libraries around the state, and NO ONE had any policies or procedures on how to handle bedbugs in books. We are now starting to develop one. Believe me, we are developing one. For librarians actively employed, this is what we are doing, you might want to consider the same:

--staff check books returned by patrons; staff are educated on what to look for
--any suspicious books are placed in individual sealed bags (like ziploc) and then placed into a sealed plastic container (ours is labeled for BIOHAZARD) and then we call an exterminator.
--If an employee finds a book in the stacks/on the shelves that shows evidence of bedbugs, they put it in a sealed bag, and into the sealed container, and call an exterminator.
--Books adjacent to the suspected book are also checked. If found on the shelves, a range of a foot either side on the shelf, and then deep (we have shelves with books on both sides) is marked off, and each book within that suspect range is checked. If any are found to be suspicious or with actual evidence of infestation, bag it, box it, call the exterminator.

Basically we are educating our staff and student workers, without causing ALARM, on how to identify these critters. This is also helpful, since many students live in situations of close proximity with others, so there is a potential for transport in dorm and shared apartment settings as well.

It had never crossed my mind that books could be transport carriers, but they are. Bedbugs don't eat the books, they hide in dark places and wait for the next blood meal (human, preferably). Google on bedbugs to see info on what they look like, signs of infestation, etc.

Bedbugs can go for up to two years without a meal, and this adds to the concern. How many books on the shelves of YOUR library could be harboring little insect time-bombs? How many books in our personal libraries, picked up second-hand at library friends sales, thrift stores and second-hand shops?

This isn't meant to be a scare tactic. It's meant to raise awareness. There are only a few options to address this: heat kills bedbugs, steam kills them, some pesticides kill them. Freezing does NOT kill bedbugs. Folks used to think so, but latest evidence proves that freezing does not kill the bugs.

This also extends to second-hand clothing and furniture! These could also harbor bedbugs, at any stage (egg, larvae, adult, dead). If you buy clothes second-hand, it's recommended they go into a sealed plastic bag at time of purchase, and directly into a HOT dryer when you come home. Personally, I would not buy used upholstered furniture, it's exceedingly difficult to eradicate an infestation and they're not easy to spot, unless you really pick apart a section of the piece of furniture to check.

Be aware that books are carriers. Know what to look for!

Siobhan
Midrealm