Before Lincoln library books are checked in, they’re checked out for bed bugs
Days after the Lincoln woman took a recipe book back to the Lincoln library on Superior Street, she received something in return.
A letter, and a cause for alarm.
“On 11/28/18, library staff discovered evidence of bed bugs in an item you returned to Eiseley Branch Library,” it began.
The letter instructed her to seal her remaining library items in plastic bags and return them to the counter for inspection. And it warned her she could be charged if library staff found more bed bug evidence and had to trash the items.
The woman was incredulous, and spoke to the branch manager, she wrote last month in a letter to the city.
“I asked how the library would know that the book had been contaminated at my home, or whether my home was at risk of contamination from the infestation problem at the library?”
A simple question — with a complicated answer that involves freezers and dogs, and dates to 2014.
Michael Sauers is the Director of Logan Library in Logan, UT. Prior to this he was one of the founding staff and Technology Manager for Do Space in Omaha, NE. After earning his MLS in 1995 from the University at Albany's School of Information Science and Policy Michael spent his first 20 years as a librarian training other librarians in technology along with time as a public library trustee, a bookstore manager for a library friends group, a reference librarian, a technology consultant, and a bookseller. He has written dozens of articles for various journals and magazines and has published 14 books ranging from library technology, blogging, Web design, and an index to a popular horror magazine. In his spare time, he blogs at TravelinLibrarian.info, runs The Collector's Guide to Dean Koontz website at CollectingKoontz.com, takes many, many photos, and typically reads more than 100 books a year.
Unless otherwise stated, all opinions are my own and are not to be considered those of the City of Logan, UT.
View all posts by Michael Sauers
