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Batty Librarians
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Built in the 1700s, the Joanine Library is considered one of the most beautiful libraries in the world, attracting about half a million visitors each year.
Library. Preserving the books is a full time job for the librarians. They appreciate the extra help from the library’s bats. f you were to visit the library, you would not see the bats. They sleep during the day when the library is open. At night, the bats flutter through the darkened library to dine on gnats, beetles and other insects. Their regular dining habit protects the historic books from these page-munching pests. Each evening, librarians cover the antique tables to protect them from bat droppings. The next morning, the coverings are removed and the library’s floors are cleaned. Most nights, some of the bats leave the library to feast on insects in the nearby hills. But on rainy nights, the bats stay home and dine in.
he librarians at the Joanine Library in Coimbra, Portugal
Why is this information interesting?
have spent a long time taking care of precious books. And they have some unique and important helpers.
For more than 250 years, the librarians have allowed bats to live in the library. Yes—bats live in this library! The librarians allow the bats to live there because they eat insects that could harm the books. There are more than 60,000 historic books in the Joanine
© Vicki Whiting July 2025
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