The San Francisco Public Library has never had a bedbug infestation, but worried patrons are starting to ask questions.
There are few things that freak me out as much as an infestation of bugs.
One bug is enough to throw me into a teeny-bopper fit of squeals. A full-blown mass of bugs is the stuff that nightmares are made of.
It doesn’t matter if they’re microscopic or big enough to warrant a scene in “Indiana Jones,” no creepy crawler is welcome.
Needless to say, I keep clear of any place that could potentially bring me in close contact with these multi-legged creatures. And the San Francisco Public Library has become one of those places.
SFGate reported that library patrons “should not be concerned” about bedbugs hitching a ride home with their library books.
Bedbugs. In books.
Hear that? That’s the sound of me running in the opposite direction screaming my head off.
Evidently, bedbugs are no longer limited to your bed anymore. According to a New York Times article, bedbugs have become increasingly more prevalent in public places in recent years.
Add that to a 2011 U.S. survey in which 8 percent of exterminators claimed to have treated libraries.
Thank you, New York Times. I will now continue buying my preferred reading materials from City Light Books and the like.
Library spokeswoman Michelle Jeffers told SFGate media coverage has resulted in calls and emails from concerned library-goers:
“I tell them San Francisco Public Library has never had a bedbug infestation, and we have protocols in place to handle it if it comes about.”
The rest of you can risk those icky things jumping out of your rented copy of ‘The Racketeer.” I’d rather cough up the dough for a Kindle.
