IUFD responds to faulty fire alarm at Lilly Library

At 4:04 p.m. Monday, the IU Fire Department rushed to the Lilly Library in response to a triggered fire alarm.

Employees of the building stood on the steps of the Showalter Fountain and across the street from the building talking, exchanging curious looks and trying to guess what was happening inside the building.

“They’re working on it now. It was probably a faulty alarm sensor,” Lilly Curator of Books Joel Silver said shortly after the ordeal.

Jessi Steiner of the Conservation Department of Lilly Library said the facility sometimes collaborates with the fire department to plan in the event of an actual fire in the building, which would subject the historical texts inside to great danger.

She also commented on the layout of the facility, noting its labyrinth-like structure.
Steiner added that the building produces its own steam to keep it at a relative temperature to help preserve the library’s contents.

Silver said when the heat system turns on in the winter, the steam is injected through the ventilation system to prevent the atmosphere from becoming
too dry.

— Michael Majchrowicz