If you’ve ever found yourself humming the tune from “Ghostbusters,” you might feel right at home in the technical library at Sandia. With its vast collection of research materials and a few ghostly tales, visitors often wonder if this library is a place for the living and the supernatural to coexist.
Reports of ghost sightings and strange happenings have sparked conversations about the library’s possible paranormal activity. The library moved into Building 804 in 1961. The main building was expanded in the 1980s to include a vault and the periodicals reading room. Although the library no longer occupies all of Building 804, room 10 is still the main part of the library and the focus of some paranormal activity.
Technical library manager Karen Holt recounted a series of unsettling events that suggest the library may be home to more than just books.
“Every time I am alone in the library after 5 p.m., I hear someone walking around on our mezzanine level,” Karen said. “The floor creaks loudly, and I can hear them moving between the stacks, but no one is ever there.”
While there are no specific historical events tied to the library, the dedication of Sandians who have contributed to its collection may create a lingering attachment that transcends time. Former librarians who loved their work might still be organizing information in the afterlife.
“There are many haunted libraries, and I think there is an irresistible allure to the library for ghosts,” Karen said. “It is a space that is deeply connected to the past, where people are immersed in the flow of knowledge.”
Library staff member Amber Glas has also experienced unexplainable occurrences while working in the library.
“My first encounter happened while I was alone on a Friday. I was shifting books when suddenly a book came off the top shelf. It was wedged between two other books, so there was no way it was just unstable and fell. I thought it was odd, and since it was so close to hitting me on the head, it felt purposeful.”
She also described a mysterious incident with a man who disappeared without a trace. “I noticed he wasn’t wearing a badge, so I tried follow him out of the library, but he had completely vanished. The construction workers outside the door said they didn’t see anyone walk out. It was as if he had never been there at all, leaving me with a weird feeling.”
Libraries as paranormal hotspots
Technical librarian Lee Ann Black-Blumenfeld shared her thoughts on the paranormal and her experiences within the library.
“I like to say I am an ‘open-minded skeptic’ or a mix of Scully and Mulder,” she said about her thoughts on the paranormal. “I want to believe in the paranormal and love hearing other people’s experiences. However, I also love to see paranormal events debunked. I think it’s fun to see how our brains play tricks on us.”
On what makes libraries a hotspot for ghostly activity, she said, “I think libraries tend to be a magnet for paranormal activity because people want them to be spooky and have lore. They’re old. They have interesting, possibly spooky, collections. Library buildings are large and can be unusually quiet. Librarians can be scary — we’re not, I promise. All this makes for a creepy environment where we can spook ourselves.”
Lee Ann added she often hears noises when she is alone in the library vault. “It’s as if there are other folks going about their workday,” she said. “Usually, I ignore it as background noise until I realize I am alone.”
She also mentioned that many library staff have experienced electronics turning on at odd times. “I personally have experienced a printer that was off turn itself on and begin trying to print. These weird occurrences can probably be explained, but so many of us have had similar unnerving experiences. It’s fun to think it’s a former librarian haunting the library space.”
As the technical library continues to serve as a hub of knowledge and research, it also invites curiosity about the mysteries that may linger within its walls. Whether one believes in ghosts or not, the stories of sightings and strange events add an interesting layer to the library’s history.