Ron Young, facilities manager for Alden, said contractors were upgrading the electrical substation in the basement of Alden when dust from jackhammers they were using triggered the alarm at about 1:30 p.m. Employees and library patrons quickly evacuated the building.

The Athens Fire Department, the Ohio University Police Department and the university's Life Safety shop, which is in charge of maintaining and repairing all fire extinguishers, fire alarms, fire reporting and fire suppression systems, responded to the alarm. Patrons were allowed to re-enter the building within 30 minutes.

-- Katie Quaranta