Eek: Detroit-area library reopens after a DVD is returned with bugs inside

A popular suburban Detroit library reopened Monday after someone had returned more than a movie over the weekend.

September 23, 2024

The return box sits outside of the closed library, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024, in Royal, Oak, Michigan, after someone returned a DVD with bugs inside the case. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)

ROYAL OAK—A popular suburban Detroit library reopened Monday after someone had returned more than a movie over the weekend.

The library in Royal Oak said it was closed Sunday after staff members encountered creepy crawlies when a DVD case in the drop box was opened.

“It appeared to be multiple species of bugs, but we aren’t sure,” the library said on Facebook. “The DVD was returned sometime after we closed on Friday and before we opened on Saturday.”

The book drops were immediately locked and all items were put in bags and transferred to a garage, the library said.

A pest control company investigated and found no more insects, the library said.

“The photos we shared showed that it was a cockroach. We are clear,” the library said on Facebook.

Library director Sandy Irwin offered a bit of humor from the stacks.

“I’m a librarian, not a pest control professional,” Irwin told the Detroit Free Press, “but I will look up 1,000 types of bugs.”

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