British library bans stinky patrons

Loud talking might be frowned upon at libraries across the world, but it’s not the only thing that can get would-be bookworms booted out. In Birmingham, England, three patrons have been banned from the city’s main library for smelling bad.

The Birmingham Mail reports that “personal hygiene issues” accounted for three entries on the library’s blacklist. Other reasons patrons have been banned include indecent exposure and aggressive behavior.

The library’s director, Brian Gambles, said that bans are uncommon in the city. “It is ... extremely rare that we have to take the step of excluding someone from the building,” Gambles said. “It is something we do only as a last resort, usually when someone is contravening library by-laws, and they are behaving in a way that has become intolerable, or even dangerous, for other visitors or staff.”

Troublesome patrons aren’t just a British problem, of course. The public library system in Eugene, Ore., recently banned a man for a year for calling a security guard a racial slur. Library officials in Eugene said bans are rare -- unless, of course, you’re a bedbug.