The Nashville Public Library system received a bomb threat via email this morning, prompting the closure of all branches and an ongoing investigation by the Metro Nashville Police Department.
In a press release, the police department stated that the threat did not name a specific location — the Nashville Public Library system includes 21 branches across the county — and was forwarded to the police by library staff at 10:30 a.m. The threat was sent to an email account shared by library staff, according to MNPD media relations director Don Aaron. Aaron declined to share the content of the bomb threat, telling the Scene that it is the focus of an active police investigation.
At 1:40 p.m., NPL tweeted that all libraries would close for the remainder of the day due to an “operational issue,” with plans to reopen for regular business hours on Friday, Sept. 23.
The threat comes midway through Banned Books Week, an annual event celebrating its 40th anniversary this year that was launched to highlight books that have been challenged, censored or banned in schools, bookstores and libraries. The threat to the Nashville Public Library system comes a day after threats of violence closed Denver libraries and two days after a bomb threat closed 17 libraries in Fort Worth.
Update, 3:45 p.m.: Metro Nashville Police Department said in a tweet that the emailed bomb threat "likely originated from out of state and is not deemed credible." The investigation is still continuing.
