Campus Alert Archive
CSULB

Five Words, Five Hours: 'There's a Bomb in the Library' Shut Down CSULB the Day Before Spring Semester

CAbomb threatemergency notificationmedium confidence
UnfoundedNo evidence of an actual threat was found. The institutional response is documented because the alert communication is identical to what would occur during a real incident.

On January 8, 2025, a vague phoned-in bomb threat consisting of just five words — 'There's a bomb in the library' — closed the CSULB University Library and the adjoining Academic Services building for nearly five hours. The threat came in to a university employee at approximately 1:35 PM PST; a BeachAlert evacuation message went out shortly after 2:45 PM, and the all-clear was issued at approximately 6 PM. The library remained closed for the rest of the day, with the timing falling between fall and spring semesters limiting the population on campus.

Alerts
3
Response
70 min
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
California State University, Long Beach
Public Masters · CA
~39,000 studentsBeachAlert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction149 chars
BeachAlert: Evacuate the University Library and Academic Services building immediately due to a reported threat. Avoid the area until further notice.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from Long Beach Post and Long Beach Current reporting that the alert went out 'shortly after 2:45 PM' instructing library and Academic Services occupants to evacuate
The 70+ minute gap between the 1:35 PM threat and the 2:45 PM alert reflects the time required to verify the threat and consult with law enforcement
The campus was between fall and spring semesters; only about five people were in the library at the time
UPDATESMS
Approximate reconstruction149 chars
BeachAlert Update: Police K-9 units are searching the University Library. The building remains closed. Continue to avoid the area. Updates to follow.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from Long Beach Post reporting that three police dogs were requested to sweep the library, a process described as taking 'at least an hour-and-a-half'
K-9 sweeps are standard procedure for credible bomb threats and require methodical building-by-building searches
The Academic Services building adjoins the library and was part of the initial evacuation perimeter; the perimeter ultimately expanded to include Liberal Arts 1/2/3, the COLA admin building, and Education 1 and 2 per Long Beach Current reporting
ALL CLEARSMS
Approximate reconstructionCSULB all-clear statement quoted by Long Beach Post; 'BeachAlert:' prefix added to match system format — verbatim body confirmed but prefix not confirmed153 chars
BeachAlert: There is no threat at this time. The Library will remain closed for the remainder of the day. Normal operations will resume tomorrow morning.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The all-clear body text 'There is no threat at this time. The Library will remain closed for the remainder of the day. Normal operations will resume tomorrow morning.' is confirmed from CSULB's statement to Long Beach Post; however 'BeachAlert:' prefix was editorially added to match system format and is not confirmed from a primary source — flag corrected to false
All-clear came approximately 4 hours 25 minutes after the original threat, despite only five evacuees needing protection
No suspect was identified or apprehended; the call originated from outside the university
Context

Background

Shortly after 1:35 PM PST on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, a CSULB employee received a phone call in which a caller said only, 'There's a bomb in the library.' The threat was vague — naming no person, group or motive. CSULB officials worked with University Police to verify the threat and approximately 70 minutes later sent a BeachAlert instructing anyone in the library or the adjoining Academic Services building to evacuate; the evacuation perimeter expanded as the response unfolded to include Liberal Arts 1, 2, and 3, the College of Liberal Arts administration building, and Education 1 and 2. Three police K-9 teams swept the library — a process Long Beach Post reported takes at least 90 minutes. At approximately 6:01 PM the university issued an all-clear stating, 'There is no threat at this time.' Because the campus was between fall and spring semesters, only about five people had to be evacuated — illustrating how the calendar dramatically affected the human cost of the threat.
Analysis

Key Findings

The threat consisted of only five words ('There's a bomb in the library'), demonstrating how minimal verbal content can trigger a full law-enforcement response
Timing between semesters limited evacuees to roughly five people — the same threat during a finals period would have evacuated thousands
K-9 search of a single library building required approximately 90 minutes, setting a baseline for response time expectations
Outcome
No explosive devices were found. Approximately five people were evacuated from the library because the campus was between semesters; the evacuation perimeter ultimately expanded to include Academic Services, Liberal Arts 1, 2, and 3, the College of Liberal Arts administration building, and Education 1 and 2. The library was closed for the remainder of the day; normal operations resumed the next morning. No suspect was identified.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Vague bomb threat targeting Cal State Long Beach library sparks evacuations on campus, police say (Long Beach Post)
    lbpost.com
  2. Student Paper
    CSULB library evacuated after bomb threat, investigation underway (Long Beach Current)
    lbcurrent.com
  3. News
    Cal State Long Beach evacuates library over bomb threat (NBC Los Angeles)
    nbclosangeles.com
  4. News
    No bomb found after threat to CSULB campus library (Long Beach Watchdog)
    lbwatchdog.com
  5. News
    Bomb Threat At CSULB Prompts Evacuations Of Academic Buildings (Patch)
    patch.com
Tags
bomb-threatlibraryevacuationcaliforniacsulbk9-searchbetween-semestersvague-threatunfoundedUnfounded
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion