Johnson County Library is continuing the treatment process for bedbugs at its Shawnee branch, and re-opening has been postponed.
Christopher Leitch, community relations coordinator for Johnson County Library, said in an email Tuesday morning that the postponement is caused by delayed delivery of special equipment for the eradication process. Library staff expect to give the all-clear by the beginning of next week. The library had initially hoped to reopen the Shawnee branch for normal hours Wednesday.
“The safety of patrons and the collection are paramount, and the library is prepared to keep the branch closed as long as necessary to correct the problem,” Leitch wrote. “We apologize deeply for any inconvenience caused by this closure.”
The eradication process involves fumigation, sealing and heating of infected materials, and deep cleaning. Additionally, the Johnson County Library is also taking extra precautions by inspecting all of its branches and providing system-wide training.
Library staff advise patrons to seal any materials from Shawnee Library in a plastic bag and return them to any library location. Patrons with books on hold at Shawnee Library must wait until it reopens.