Bomb Threat Closes Evanston Libraries For Second Time In 3 Days

EVANSTON, IL — For the second time this week, a bomb threat led to evacuations at the Evanston Public Library.

On Thursday afternoon, police announced the library's main branch at 1703 Orrington Ave. and its Robert Crown Community Center branch at 1801 Main St. had been closed due to a bomb threat.

The closure came about 48 hours after library staff got an email claiming that a bomb had been placed in the library and other area libraries, leading to a four-hour closure.

Eventually, Evanston police and the Metra police department's bomb-sniffing dog searched both library locations and the rest of the community center and found no evidence of a bomb or threat to the public.

Those emails came the same day Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, in his role as the state's chief librarian, testified before the U.S. Senate in a hearing about censorship in libraries.

Police said they are investigating the source of the emailed promised further updates about Thursday's closures.

Earlier: No Bomb Found After Threat To Evanston Library, Police Say