Posted September 22, 2003.

Mercury Spill in Muncie Library Forces Evacuation

The John F. Kennedy branch of the Muncie (Ind.) Public Library closed September 18 after a staff member discovered a small amount of mercury on a computer table and on a keyboard. Police, who arrived to investigate shortly after 5:30 p.m., said the amount of mercury was more than would be found in a thermometer but not enough to fill a thimble. Staff and patrons were evacuated immediately to allow state hazardous-materials experts to decontaminate the area.

“There has to be some criminal element here,” Deputy Police Chief James Peters said in the September 19 Muncie Star Press. “Mercury is something you don’t find in a library. We have to find out who did this and what their intentions were.”

No one in the computer room remembered seeing anyone with mercury. Although patrons are required to sign up for the computers, most users had only signed their first names, police said. Library officials said the branch would remain closed until further notice while the incident is under investigation.

Posted September 22, 2003.