Suspicious beeping noises in the book stacks caused the evacuation of the sixth floor and the southwest corner of the fifth floor of Brigham Young University’s Harold B. Lee Library August 4 in Provo, Utah. The Provo and Utah County bomb squads followed the faint sounds to a book in the stacks and determined that it contained a clock-like device but no explosives.
The Daily Universe student newspaper reported August 10 that Rylan Chan, a library security guard, first heard the noise and called for backup. Another guard called police. “The university police handled the situation with precision and professionalism,” said Carri Jenkins of university communications. The areas remained secured from 10:30 a.m. to around 1 p.m.
The Lee Library recently completed a three-floor, 234,000-square-foot addition 40 feet below the university quad area. Under construction since 1996, the multimillion-dollar expansion opened August 11, increasing the library’s size by 50% and creating the largest library in Utah.
Posted August 16, 1999.