Update (4/7/26): This story has been updated to include a statement from Brianna Hoge, Public Relations Manager for UAB.

Mervyn H. Sterne Library was placed on a brief lockdown shortly after midnight on Tuesday, according to library employees and students. No B-Alert was sent. Details about what prompted the lockdown were not available.

Kaleidoscope reached out to the UAB Office of Marketing and Communications for comment regarding details on the lockdown and received a statement from Brianna Hoge, public relations manager.

“A brief lockdown of Sterne Library was the result of a misunderstanding that was quickly resolved; there was no credible threat, and normal library operations resumed. If at any point UAB Police and Public Safety had believed there to be an active threat, a B-Alert would have been sent.”

Tony Rose, a user access associate, told students around midnight that they would not be able to leave. “UAB police have put the building on lockdown due to danger outside”, Rose stated.

A UAB police officer, who declined to be named, stated that the lockdown was not due to a specific threat but a precautionary measure in response to suspicious calls.

The UAB Police Department denied Kaleidoscope’s request for access to crime logs and incident reports from the time of the lockdown.

This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available.