Body lice are small insects that make your body their home. These bugs can travel through person to person contact or commonly shared items such as the chairs in the library.
In the past few weeks, some seats in the Hannon Library have been taped off due to these tiny creatures. Jim Rible, the Systems Librarian at the Hannon Library for the past 30 years, said he has never seen a case of lice at the library before.
Rible and other members of staff are unsure how the problem occurred as most students visit the library on any given week, and people of the homeless community come in for the warmth, computers and books. Rible shared that when body lice are discovered, the area is taped off and then, with the proper campus facilities called, Lysol is applied to the area which slows down the lice and eventually kills them.
One student, who preferred to remain anonymous, voiced her concern when she heard about the lice. The student met with a librarian who was involved with the containing and removing of the lice in question. The librarian explained to the student that staff were in the process of cleaning the chairs. The student mentioned that at the time when she met with staff, they did not have a plan to release the information to the school. Neither Rible nor the student know what brought the lice into the library, with both suggesting that it could be either the student population or the general Ashland community. According to the student, the library is doing the best they can to solve the issue.
Rible suggested the best course of action for any student who discovers that they do have a form of lice is taking a shower, cleaning their belongings and checking in with the Student Health Center.
To learn more about body lice and treatments, go to the Centers for Disease Control.
