Bring back your borrowed library items (due Oct 1 or later) within 28 days to avoid a replacement or lost fee. We'll remove the fee when you bring back your overdue items.

All Branches and Bookmobile Stops

Published:

Thursday, September 11, 2025 - 3:00pm

Bed Bug Prevention Policy and Inspection Results

Policy

The Hamilton Public Library strives to prevent and contain the presence of bed bugs and their eggs in library facilities or on library materials by ensuring that library staff is aware of its Bed Bug Prevention Protocol and related procedures. The Library will regularly review best practices for bed bug prevention, containment and treatment to update and improve the Protocol and procedures.

The Library will:

take a proactive approach to prevention, containment and treatment to reduce the risk to staff and customers;
hire only licensed and accredited pest control companies to work in our facilities;
ensure current recommended best practices from public health authorities and accredited pest control agencies are included in its Bed Bug Prevention Protocol and related procedures;
maintain a consistent communications protocol to inform staff and customers of activities, and;
monitor its prevention, containment and treatment program to determine the level of response and success.

Bed Bug Prevention Protocol

The Hamilton Public Library recognizes that having prevention measures, reporting all sightings, and containing and destroying bed bugs and eggs immediately, are important actions we can take toward mitigating the occurrence of bed bugs in our locations. For this reason, the following prevention protocol has been created.

Regular cleaning schedules are in place at all locations.
Staff are asked to keep work areas clean and de-cluttered with items stored appropriately such as on shelving, in lockers, in desks, in bins or on counters.
The Library has a monitoring program in place to further reduce the risk of bed bugs and to properly target the use of approved pesticides and other treatments.
Treatment and the cycle of inspection will be proportional to identified risks and will be adjusted based on evidence.
Library staff is provided with the necessary information to help them identify bed bugs and eggs, and to act in accordance with the procedures in this document.
Appropriate containment and treatment supplies will be provided.

Inspection Results