The librarian spots a sleepy little animal curled up with the books
In May, a librarian at Camas Public Library was shelving books when she came across somebody sleeping in a quiet corner of the historical nonfiction section.
It’s not unusual to spot someone dozing while curled up with a good book. However, finding a little brown bat fast asleep was a first for the librarian.
“She didn’t want to disturb it and, aiming to confirm it was indeed a tiny bat sleeping on the bookshelf, she left to get the second set of eyes of a colleague,” told Connie Urquhart, library director.
The librarian called the local animal services, and Officer Bryan Caine arrived 15 minutes later. “He was extremely calm and easygoing about the situation, even allowing us to take a quick photo of the bat with the book ‘Bats at the Library’ by Brian Lies,” Urquhart said. “Officer Caine then gently moved the bat into a box and closed the lid quickly.”
How the bat broke into the library for a nap is still a mystery. In some libraries in Portugal, bats are even welcome guests, consuming pests that might otherwise feed on old manuscripts.
However, the Camas Public Library didn’t need the little bat’s exterminator services, and he was released back into the wild at the nearby Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge.
For staff, this is one of many animal sightings in and around the suburban library, where they’ve had squirrels in the Storytime Room, bats on the bookshelves, early morning visits from deer waiting for them to open, cats, bunnies, and more. The library is open to all, and happy to share the joy of reading with whoever stops by for a visit.
“We live in a wacky and wonderful small town,” Urquhart said.
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