In Boulder, Colorado, a public library that provides the surrounding community with a space to meet and learn has been closed for two weeks. No, winter weather was not to blame. Overdue books weren’t the cause, and neither was funding. It was meth.
January 4, 2023, 8:25 PMIn downtown Boulder, Colorado, a public library that provides the surrounding community with a space to meet and learn has been closed for two weeks. No, winter weather was not to blame. Overdue books weren’t the cause, and neither was funding.The main library in Boulder, about 30 miles northwest of Denver, was shut down Dec. 20 when test results from restroom exhaust vents showed methamphetamine contamination, the city said in a statement.
“In two separate incidents, library staff were evaluated and cleared for potential meth exposure after feeling ill,” the statement said. The library’s director, David Farnan, said in the city’s statement that he was confident there was “no ongoing health risk.” Deaths from drug overdoses rose to record-breaking levels in 2021, nearing 108,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A significant share of deaths came from overdoses involving methamphetamine and fentanyl, a class of potent synthetic opioids that are sometimes mixed with other drugs. The number of deaths associated with stimulants like meth increased to 33,000 in 2021 from 25,000 in 2020.
Some librarians have been trained to use the overdose-reversal drug naloxone. In 2020, the American Library Association published a book, “Libraries and the Substance Abuse Crisis,” to provide guidance and information to library workers who encounter people who are using drugs or seeking help for substance abuse.
Lessa Kanani’opua Pelayo-Lozada, the president of the American Library Association, said in an email that libraries are a vital resource for communities and are often the first point of contact for people in need, including those looking for information about housing, jobs and food assistance.
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