Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Pace Confirms Bedbug Library Problem, Insists It's "Limited"
By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 11, 2011
Modified Oct 11, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 11, 2011
Modified Oct 11, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Pace University's library had a wee bedbug problem, but now that's all behind them, a spokesperson assures us this morning. We reported yesterday that the university's Henry Birnbaum Library was abruptly shut down in the afternoon, and one student said a librarian conspiratorially leaned in to say: " 'Don't tell anyone this,' and then whispered 'bed bugs.' " The school says everything's under control now, but some students are on edge because the freshman dorms are located in the same building as the library.
"The bedbugs were out of the Pace downtown library as of about midnight, as far as we know," spokesman Christopher T. Cory tells us. "And to be sure we’re checking again tonight with the exterminator’s canine unit. We are aggressive about this." William McGrath, Pace's Sr. Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, issued this statement:
Late Monday morning staff members of the Birnbaum library on the downtown campus rearranging computers reported unidentified bugs in a back room. A senior member of the University’s buildings and grounds department and a consultant from an exterminator confirmed the bugs were bedbugs. The library was closed and exterminators were called in. The entire library was inspected and only one small area was found to have bugs. That area and the surrounding area have been treated.
Bedbugs are a continuing annoyance throughout the city and Pace has an aggressive program for dealing with them. A late August, university-wide inspection by an exterminator’s canine unit found no trace of them in the library at that time. We make regular inspections throughout campus and address all issues immediately. The area infected by the bugs was very limited and it is unlikely that they have spread.
Those cynical undergrads, of course, are hardly placated by the administration's spin doctors. One Pace student tells us, "I don't trust that press release in the slightest. The cafeteria is directly across the hall from [the library] and is also a big (and cushioned) hangout spot. I'm sure they are lurking around somewhere else. Luckily I am at a low risk of having them since my hangout spot is the smokers' courtyard hahaha."
Tagged
bedbugs
college
libraries
pace
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Man killed in police-involved shooting in Moonachie, NJ
A New Jersey state trooper was involved in the incident Wednesday, according to the New Jersey attorney general's office.
By
Kaya Laterman
Published Oct 28, 2026 at 9:06 p.m. ET
Queens man took girlfriend’s body to beach in a wagon, where it remained for 5 days
Seraphina Pereira was found in a shallow grave at Rockaway Community Park. Rogelio Lozano-Garita pleaded not guilty to murder on Wednesday.
By
Charles Lane
News
Queens man took girlfriend’s body to beach in a wagon, where it remained for 5 days
Seraphina Pereira was found in a shallow grave at Rockaway Community Park. Rogelio Lozano-Garita pleaded not guilty to murder on Wednesday.
By
Charles Lane
Mamdani extends NYC racial equity leader's term after Council pushes back on replacement
By
Elizabeth Kim
Woman charged with federal hate crimes after allegedly stabbing 2 Jewish men in NYC
By
Giulia Heyward
Ex-NYPD sergeant sentenced to 4-12 years in deadly drunken Taconic crash
By
Charles Lane
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .