Palo Alto Closes Public Library Branch Over Bedbugs
PALO ALTO (KPIX 5) – The City of Palo Alto has closed one of its public libraries for the next two days because of a bedbug infestation.
City officials said the pests were found in a couple of chairs at the Mitchell Park branch on Wednesday. The city said it's not uncommon for bedbugs to turn up in shared public spaces.
A pest control company has been brought in to treat the problem.
Jane, a library patron who did not give her last name, told KPIX 5 that she is not horrified by the discovery.
"I'm a little surprised that in this brand-new beautiful library we have bedbugs. But if I were a bug I'd probably want to choose this library to live in," Jane said. "It's a really nice library."
The city hopes to reopen the library by Sunday. Bedbug-sniffing dogs have also been sent to the city's other libraries, just in case.