The Halifax North Memorial Public Library is continuing to deal with bedbugs in the building, but staff believe the bugs are being brought in from people visiting the library and returned items.

In September, the library was closed twice in one week to be sprayed after staff discovered bedbugs on returned items.

Terry Gallagher, facilities director at Halifax Public Libraries, said they've seen fewer than five bedbugs at the library in the past month.

The facilities director at Halifax Public Libraries says all staff are trained to detect various pests. (CBC)

"We're very confident that they're hitchhikers. The ones we've seen tended to be at the circulation desk or at the public computers," Gallagher said.

"We know that the buildings in the area are infested, so we're being very watchful of all the materials. We've ramped up our inspection of books and CD cases and even people who come into the building."

Not an infestation

Gallagher said the last two bedbugs spotted in the library were on people.

​"People have them in their homes or their apartments and they can't afford to do anything about them. It's sort of a decision of if you spray or if you eat for a lot of people," Gallagher said.

Along with increased checks on items returned to the library, Gallagher said staff have also received additional training to spot bedbugs at all life stages. He also said the building was reinspected on Monday.

"I can put my hand on my heart and say that we don't have an infestation in the building," Gallagher said.

'It's just not that simple'

Sean Rollo, regional manager with pest control company Orkin, said it's not abnormal to find bedbugs in public places like libraries.

But Rollo said this shouldn't be a cause for panic.

"Because there's bugs in a library doesn't mean that the entire library is infested and that anyone that visited is going to go home with bedbugs," he said.

"Bedbugs just simply do not travel from one place to another very easily. If they did, the entire world would be overrun by them. It's just not that simple."

In this undated photo released by the University of Florida, a common bedbug is engorged with blood after feeding on a human. (The Associated Press)

Rollo said bedbugs are generally happy to stay in one place, and only move around to feed. Once they're done eating, Rollo said they return back to the same living space.

When they do end up travelling to other places, Rollo said it's inadvertent.

He said most libraries have preventative programs in place. Some have a bedbug-sniffing dog that comes in on a regular basis and other libraries have heat chambers to put returned books through.

"If there was one or two bugs that were found, it's not an infestation," he said.

"It would be a very low per cent chance that you would even encounter them, number one, and number two, to bring them home would be even lower."