Running head: BUGS AND BURGLARS: SECURITY IN THE LIBRARY 1

Bugs and Burglars: Security in the Library

Abby McLinden

Ivy Tech Community College

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Security is important to just about everybody, at any time. So of course it’s also important

in the library. There are many different facets to security, but for this assignment I’ve narrowed

down to focus on two specific sub-topics. Protecting the physical materials from various kinds of

pests, and making sure staff are well-trained to spot signs of criminal behavior.

To begin, people come to the library to get materials. While digital use is growing, there

are still many who want physical items to hold in their hands. Unfortunately there are many

hazards to physical items, and the one I’ll be focusing on for this paper is insects.

All creatures need somewhere safe to go, and food to eat, and some of them will try to

find shelter and a snack within the library. And their snack of choice? The library books.

Libraries have those materials for patrons, for people who can read and appreciate the knowledge

within them. Which means we can’t allow such bugs to eat up our materials. Imagine a patron

coming up to the checkout, upset because the book they wanted has disgusting holes all through

it because a beetle had made it it’s home. It not just makes it harder for the patron to get their

material, the library is now going to have to spend limited funds on replacing that, and it reflects

poorly on the library that it even happened in the first place.

There are several types of insects that make their way into the library books. An article by

ABC points out between the various kinds of bugs you might find. Beetle will dig holes through

the book, silverfish eat the glue, and termites think the entire thing is a tasty snack, among

others.

Bugs get into the library when it is not properly sealed off against the elements. A cooler

indoor climate slows bug reproduction, and keeping the library clean of food and crumbs gives

bugs less of a draw to invade. According to an article by Querner, Integrated Pest Management

(IPM) has been in museums since the 1980’s, and grew into being used in libraries from there.
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Chemical methods are used to kill bugs at times, but used too often and without enough care will

damage the materials.

While most bugs are not a large danger to health and public safety, taking the time to

properly get rid of them can severely hamper a library’s ability to function. A CBC article talks

about fourteen branches of the Essex library closing down in order to combat an outbreak of

bedbugs. Patrons were advised to put suspect materials into re-sealable freezer bags, as the

library wasn’t taking them back at the time. Who knows how many people had to call pest

control to their homes because of the outbreak!

So while most well-maintained libraries won’t have to worry about losing their entire

collection to insects, it can still be a massive amount of time and energy to combat an infestation

once it’s dug in. And if it spreads to the patrons, then they’ll be out their own time and money to

combat infestations at home. So you see it’s important for libraries to stay vigilant for signs that a

few too many creepy-crawlies have crawled their way in.

And on the note of vigilance, librarians have to stay vigilant for more than just bugs. In

fact librarians have to be vigilant for signs of ill behavior in the patrons as well.

While we would like to be able to help anyone who comes into the library, unfortunately

there will be some that come into the library for illegal means. It could be as innocuous as a

teenager who just wants to pirate the latest movie and tries to use the library wi-fi to do it, or it

could be as serious as a mass shooting. Librarians have to be vigilant for signs that a patron will

be not just a nuisance but a danger to others.

Having well-trained staff to step in and avert any sort of criminal situations arising is key

to keeping a safe and secure library. Ill trained and inattentive staff will have patrons stealing
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books from under their noses, and they will be unsure of how to handle the obvious situations

that arise.

McPherson gives advice as to what kind of training to give on emergency situations.

Although it is aimed at teachers, I believe it translates well to public libraries. Make a policy/plan

and make sure staff are well versed in it. And when incidents happen, if they are mild enough the

librarian can step in and gently but firmly tell the patron that is not allowed. But if the patron

seems violent, then promptly call 911 and wait for the police to arrive.

As the article by Grover shows, inattentive security can lead to frightened patrons. There

it was the police who wasn’t watching, and as a result there was rampart drug use all throughout

the library. The nameless patron quoted at the end said she was terrified because of what had

been happening, and I have no doubt this impacted how often she went to the library.

Thankfully that story begins with the police making a renewed commitment to cracking

down on such behaviors. There is a lot of work that goes into making a library secure, these are

just two of the facets of it. Librarians will be the ones patrons look to when something goes

wrong, and so it’s important they, we, know how to handle things when they do.
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ABC, P. (2019, October 04). Library Menaces: Are Insects Destroying Your Books? Retrieved
October 03, 2020, from https://www.abchomeandcommercial.com/blog/library-menaces-
are-insects-destroying-your-books/

Joel Grover, A. (2017, November 17). LAPD Cracks Down on Crime at Los Angeles City
Libraries. Retrieved October 03, 2020, from https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/lapd-
cracks-down-on-crime-at-la-libraries/27595/

Layson, G. (2016, June 14). Bedbugs close entire library system in part of southern Ontario |
CBC News. Retrieved October 03, 2020, from
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/bedbugs-essex-county-library-1.3634080

McPherson, K. (n.d.). Emergencies and School Libraries: Making Safety a Priority. Retrieved
October 03, 2020, from
http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.allstate.libproxy.ivytech.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?
vid=1&sid=5ddd3039-16c3-4595-b2ef-d5501264b551%40sessionmgr4007

Querner, P. (2015). Insect Pests and Integrated Pest Management in Museums, Libraries and
Historic Buildings. Retrieved October 03, 2020, from
http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.allstate.libproxy.ivytech.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?
vid=1&sid=1ffe25d5-e9c1-4230-bee5-5727b14fb7d1%40pdc-v-sessmgr02