Long Lamont Line Irks Students

Patience is a virtue, but not when you’re running late for the shuttle and the library guard is flipping through every single one of your books.

Over the past two weeks, students looking to exit Lamont Library efficiently have encountered uncommonly long lines at odd hours of the night.

Students attributed the hold-up to a new security guard’s thorough examination of their books and belongings.

“Every person I talk to complains about this line,” said M. Amelia Muller ’11, noting that the new guard, James Fasci, makes “everyone take every book out.”

“Other security guards glance at books and let you go. It’s 1:30 in the morning, who cares?” she said.

Students have taken notice of Fasci’s arrival because of his meticulous searching, which involves asking visitors to take their laptops out and to remove books from their bookbags, so he can flip through them.

AlliedBarton security guard Aryt Alasti, on shift Wednesday night and yesterday morning said that the line, which at times stretched into the shelving area, occurs because too many students leave at the same time to catch shuttles.

“This has always been the case during library hours,” Alasti said, while Fasci commented on the “bursty nature” of the lines.

Fasci has worked for AlliedBarton since last May but was trained for the Lamont overnight position only about two and a half weeks ago. AlliedBarton declined to comment.

Students in line said they thought the resulting long wait was “absurd” and “ridiculous.”

“When they have to check my musical instrument for books, it gets annoying,” said Natalie D. Bau ’09. “They already have an electronic sensor to detect books that weren’t checked out. If I were going to take the trouble to demagnetize my book, I’d also take the trouble to stick it in my coat.”

The security measures, including the guard desks, have been in place for over 10 years, said Director of Communications for Harvard College Library (HCL) Beth Brainard.

“Our goal is to protect the collections and keep them circulating,” Brainard said. “Theft has been an issue throughout the years at the library. We’re aware we hold valuable collections and that they are desirable.”

Brainard added that thefts such as those conducted by map marauder E. Forbes Smiley cause HCL to reevaluate their security procedures. In general, however, she said that “security measures are proactive rather than reactive.”

Brainard said that students should consider the wait time and plan their departures from Lamont accordingly.

“A little pre-planning on the students’ part, combined with a little courtesy on our part to show that we understand your predicament, but we have to go through this, are both necessary,” she said.

Brainard declined to comment on the work performance of any individual.

—Clifford M. Marks and Natasha S. Whitney contributed to the reporting of this story.