Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library - Security

Security

In 2005, the art thief Edward Forbes Smiley III, a well-known and trusted antiques dealer at that time, was caught slicing maps from rare books with an X-acto blade. He had dropped the concealed tool on the floor, and it was spotted by an alert worker. Smiley was arrested, and later served several years in prison for thefts of rare documents valued in millions of dollars from this and other libraries.

The Beinecke library operates under a closed stack system, and rigorous security rules now allow carefully controlled access to materials in a spartan subterranean reading room, under video surveillance.

The glass-enclosed central stacks (not accessible to the public) can be flooded with a mix of Halon 1301 and Inergen fire suppressant gas if fire detectors are triggered. A previous system using carbon dioxide was removed for safety reasons.

An infestation of bookworms was controlled by freezing books and documents at -33 °F for three days. All new acquisitions are given this treatment as a precaution.

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