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SCP-4058: We Become Stories That Are Dying To Be Told

Author: $Mnml$

(More from this author.)

Image Source:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jiuguangw/7422071226

The Thomas Jefferson Building Main Reading Room. All individuals pictured are Foundation agents enacting Operation LeVar.

Item #: SCP-4058

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures: Foundation assets have been tasked with keeping libraries and other collections of physical literary materials worldwide below a threshold item count, above which SCP-4058 becomes audible.

Per Operation Reading Rainbow, books and physical copies of documents in the Foundation's possession are to be accumulated at the Central Resource Nolan-Peoples Library at Site-19. Following clarification of the above threshold count and large-scale reproduction of SCP-4058, items are to be returned to their original sites or be redistributed according to Foundation literary vacancies. Incoming additions to the Foundation's literary collection are to be allocated by the same considerations.

A dedicated staff of D-Class as well as multi-lingual scholars are to be deployed to the Library of Congress, per Operation LeVar. Please refer to that operation's charter for additional details.

Description: SCP-4058 is an emergent acoustic phenomenon exclusive to the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. Captured examples of SCP-4058 can be sampled in the Site-19 Audio Library.

Staff and patrons of the Library of Congress describe a gradual onset of faint, droning sounds within the library, beginning some time after May 2018 and developing over the course of several weeks. The sounds have since become louder and increasingly disruptive, interrupting operations and discouraging patronage to such an extent as to compromise budgeting and projected funding from the U.S. Government.

Stationed audio recording equipment and pilotless trials in the library have confirmed that SCP-4058 occurs only when an individual is present.

Addenda

1. Transcripts and Documentation

a. Initial Meeting & Observations: Display Audio Transcript

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Foreword: After in-house maintenance and the library's engineers could not find or suggest a source of the sound, the Foundation was alerted to the phenomenon by an embedded executive, who also contacted the Unusual Incidents Unit (UIU) branch of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. A premier firm of acousticians (1 representative sent) was consulted at the behest of the executive staff.

The Foundation approved the collaboration, given clearance from the Ethics Committee that the acoustician be amnesticized by any means necessary in the event of a classified information breach. The following are excerpts from conversations between the team members.

Present company includes Agent Wells (recording via an attached condenser mic), acoustician Dr. Ciaph Fullfölja, Ph.D., and Agents Drumel and Cyllus of the UIU. Extraneous dialogue has been removed and indicated accordingly.

The team enters the building from the 1st Street SE entrance, and into the library's mezzanine. A droning sound is picked up on the condenser mic as they enter.

[BEGIN LOG]

Agent Drumel: I thought libraries were supposed to be havens for peace and quiet.

Agent Cyllus: It has to be a good 70 dB. What would you say, doctor?

Dr. Fullfölja: Let me check. (Shuffling of clothes can be heard, followed by clicks.) 63.5 dB.

Agent Drumel: Not bad, Katherine.

Agent Cyllus: It was a cinch. You're an easy 70 almost all the time and it's about that annoying in here.

Agent Drumel: Yeah well the patrons seem to agree; there's no one here.

Agent Wells: Except for our hostess…

Footsteps are heard approaching, echoing through the large room.

Carla D. Hayden:1 Welcome, welcome. Thank you all so much for coming today.

Agent Drumel: Huh?

Carla D. Hayden: Yes, I know, it is bad. It's actually a bit quieter in here than elsewhere in the library, I assure you, and also a bit quieter than the noise from the street outside. Sorry to meet you all under such uncomfortable conditions. But we appreciate your help and desperately need it. This is killing the library.

Agent Wells: Happy to be here.

Carla D. Hayden: I wanted to meet you all together, as I believe you can benefit from each other. Is there anything I can explain further that might help you?

Dr. Fullfölja: We had spoken earlier about schematics.

Carla D. Hayden: Yes, of course. Those will be made available to you within the hour.

Agent Drumel: I think I've heard enough.

Agent Cyllus: (Quietly) Start acting like a professional, please.

Agent Drumel: Yes ma'am. We'll begin immediately.

Carla D. Hayden: Yes, thank you. The staff has been made aware of your presence, please don't hesitate to contact me or my team for help. Thank you all again.

Per Agent Wells, at this time Dr. Fullfölja began unpacking a carryall bag and assembling an array of standing microphones around the mezzanine and the surrounding rooms. Agents Drumel, Cyllus, and Wells began walking the library.

Agent Drumel: So what do you think of all this, hearing it in person now?

Agent Cyllus: It sounds like a paper factory. But it could still be a lot of explainable things.

Agent Drumel: Oh? Like what?

Agent Cyllus: Hums like these are common in electrical systems, especially those housed in aged structural components, both of which are ubiquitous in this library.

Agent Drumel: Sure, but they shut off the electricity briefly last week and the sounds remained.

Agent Cyllus: That might not rule out the effects of capacitance. Enough charge from the constant stream of supplied electricity over the last hundred years stored on big enough capacitors could still be shedding some of the energy via sound. Or what about seismic waves and their potential reverberation with the architecture of this structure, it acting as a kind of echo chamber? There's got to be natural frequency to this library as a whole; hit it with the right wavelength of sound waves and it can cause a number of overtones.

Agent Drumel: But the subsoil of this region isn't conducive to such complete propagation of sound waves, nor is seismic activity a concern here.

Agent Cyllus: Right, the library must be on an ancient burial ground, then. Look, it's no complete theory, not yet. It's mere shooting in the dark because there isn't any other rational explanation to move forward with. (Pause) We'll need more data. Our acoustician friend should help with that. I'm not convinced that because the civil engineers couldn't find a source we should be looking for something preternatural. And I hate that you pushed that agenda so quickly out of the gate with our esteemed colleague. I don't think he was impressed.

Agent Drumel: Alright, my turn. What about the mosaic of Minerva there at the entrance?

Agent Cyllus: What about it?

Agent Drumel: Did her presence inspire any ideas as to what might be going on?

Agent Wells: Minerva is the Roman goddess of wisdom. Seems like her placement here is explained easily enough.

Agent Drumel: Yes, she is, but what's less known is that she's also the sponsor of strategic warfare. According to the myths, she was born in battle armor for crying out loud. She lived inside Jupiter, her mother having been swallowed by him, and it was said she was the source of a constant pounding and ringing to such an agonizing extent that Jupiter commissioned the iron god Vulcan to craft a hammer to split Jupiter's head open and release her from within him.

Agent Cyllus: I fail to see the connection.

Agent Drumel: What if we are Vulcan here? Or better yet, the hammer?

Agent Cyllus: Out of the millions of documents and countless mythos contained in this library, you think that the entirety of the events occurring here can be pinned down to a few sentences tangentially ascribed to Minerva?

Agent Drumel: But that's my point, Katherine. Ideas can manifest in physical ways when they become crowded. How many thoughts can you simultaneously fit inside your head, for example, before it manifests as a headache? Has it ever been asked; what happens when you physically amass such a massive collection of ideas? Do they, like the ideas in our minds begin to compete with one another for space, a kind of warfare for their actualization in the real world? I think it's no mistake that this phenomenon is happening here, in the largest library in the world. And it might not be Minerva herself, but I don't think we're going to find answers in the acoustics of the building, the reverberation capacity of the solid media, or in the electrical circuits.

Agent Cyllus: It's poetic, and it's true that only a certain amount of data can be present before an event horizon, but I don't think abstract ideas work in the same way, and I certainly don't think they are alive, waring with one another.

Agent Drumel: Maybe not ideas themselves, but they are the germinal form of all living things and actions. Once you, Katherine, were just a thought. Like me, like all of us. Any structure, government, movement whether artistic or political, all once only an idea. What if what's manifesting here is another type, or species of germinated thought?

Agent Cyllus: I'm not sure what you're getting at.

Agent Drumel: What about you, Agent Wells? What do you think?

Agent Wells: I think the noise got a lot quieter when we passed the Hispanic Reading Room.

Agent Drumel: …you sure?

Agent Wells: Let's see.

The agents turn and walk towards the Hispanic Reading Room. SCP-4058 notably diminishes in volume.

Agent Drumel: Well I'll be.

Agent Wells: I couldn't help but notice after I tuned you two out.

Agent Drumel: (Chuckling) I wish I could do that. That's a gift.

Agent Cyllus: What do you think it means?

Agent Wells: I… don't know. That it is not a constant volume throughout the library could support your theory of capacitance or reverberation… I can't think of a reason why European ideas would be fighting with each other more than Hispanic ones though.

Agent Cyllus: What are you doing, Agent Wells?

Agent Wells: Inspecting the bookshelves themselves. We've seen such things at the Foundation, you know.

The agents are radioed and asked to head towards the mezzanine to reconvene with Dr. Fullfölja.

Agent Wells: Doctor, I don't mean to be presumptive, but I believe they've recorded some samples already.

Dr. Fullfölja: Yes, they have. I'm noise mapping. I'm taking sound pictures, essentially, in order to model the propagation of the noise generated by… whatever it is making this sound.

Agent Wells: Any chance it will tell you the source?

Dr. Fullfölja: Not exactly; this is primarily for predicting the effects of noise mitigation strategies that I'll recommend later. My role here is more prescriptive than it is investigatory. After I model the acoustic performance of this building, I could theoretically postulate sound sources and see if the expected behavior matches the pictures of what we're observing here, but…

Agent Cyllus: …but what?

Dr. Fullfölja: (Chuckles) As far as the detection of a sound source goes, no technology is even remotely close or will be in the distant future to what you and I have already brought to the table; ears.

Agent Cyllus: I see. Do you need any help?

Dr. Fullfölja: Frankly, I do — this will take some time — but this is a one-person job, I'm afraid. Besides, it's necessary that I have a sterile environment, and that means we'll all have to exit the building for me to complete the mapping.

Agent Wells: Would it be okay if we're on another floor?

Dr. Fullfölja: …the basements would be acceptable, I suppose.

Agent Drumel: Before we go… we noticed some significant discrepancies in volume regarding the noise back there. Any idea why that might be causing that?

Dr. Fullfölja: Sounds like it could be negative interference; the sound waves hitting each other in a way that provides some cancellation. Could also be a function of the immediate environment… temperature, humidity, even the materials of the books within the individual rooms can contribute to changes in acoustic performance for the same sound. Where did you notice this?

Agent Wells: Near the Hispanic Reading Room.

Dr. Fullfölja: Get back to me about it. I'll see if the sound models include that bit.

The agents locate the entrance to the basement levels, however, this entrance is locked with a security gate.

Agent Drumel: Excuse me… Excuse me, hello. My name is Agent Drumel, this is Agent Cyllus and Agent Wells. We are hoping to gain access to the basement.

Librarian: I'm sorry, the basement is off limits to patrons.

Agents Drumel and Cyllus produce their FBI badges.

Agent Drumel: We'd appreciate it.

Librarian: Right this way.

Agent Wells: (Quietly, to Agent Cyllus) …must be nice.

The agents gain access to the basement.

Agent Drumel: So, what is down here?

Librarian: On B1, some very important stuff. Original manuscripts, the original library of Thomas Jefferson, presidential memoirs dating back to George Washington… do be careful, please. B2 is where we keep the oldest, most valuable items… like original vellum artifacts and other things of the utmost historical significance.

Agent Wells: Has anyone been down in the basements since this began?

Librarian: Yes, Mrs. Hayden and a few others a couple days ago. They didn't find anything unusual, I don't believe. Well… unusual for these circumstances, I guess. Oh! Speaking of which, you reminded me… down there… it's damaging. Here, take these.

The librarian hands the agents noise-dampening earphones. The agents thank her and descend the staircase to B1. As they descend, the condenser microphone is overwhelmed by a markedly louder droning noise. Only a partial transcript is possible during this time.

Agent Cyllus: Wo—(indistinct) endless bookshelves.

Agent Drumel: (Indistinct) small portion of the 800 plus miles (indistinct)

Agent Wells: Why is it so much louder here? Could the source be here?

Agent Cyllus: Let's keep walking, maybe (indistinct)

After coursing the level, the agents have no leads as to a source and are at a loss as to how to proceed. Agent Wells inspects the bookshelves again, accidentally knocking a volume off in the process, which opens as it hits the floor.

Agent Drumel: What did y—(indistinct)

Agent Wells: I noticed something odd when I read this page, look.

Agent Cyllus: …a treatise on… phlogiston? I don't see (indistinct) specifically speaking.

Agent Wells: Read some of it.

Agent Cyllus: (Indistinct)—y God.

Agent Drumel: Who's v—(indistinct) we hearing?

Agent Wells: I don't know. Is it the same for you two?

Agent Drumel: It's de—(indistinct) white British m—(indistinct)

Agent Wells: The author checks out.

Agent Cyllus: I just can't (indistinct) saying, though. (Indistinct) muddled.

Agent Drumel: Well, this (indistinct) something.

At this time, Agent Wells time collects the books and motions to the UIU agents to leave. They walk up the staircase and return the headphones to the librarian.

Librarian: Excuse me, but those books are not for checking out.

Agent Wells: Contact Mrs. Hayden. Tell her it's Agent Wells.

Librarian: (Ringing) Hello— hey it's me. Could you tell James that I need to get a message, err, a question to Mrs. Hayden? It's about the investigation. Yes, the agents, they want to take some items from the B1 with them. I don't know. No, it is Agent Wells. Wells. Yes, I'll wait. (Pause) O— Okay. (Hangs up) Well. Have a nice day, Agent Wells.

Agent Wells: Thank you, you too.

Agent Cyllus: (Quietly) …must be nice.

[END LOG]

b. Digital Correspondences: Display Files

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The following is a series of emails sent between members of the collaborative team.

To: MWells@████

From: JMD003@████

Subject: FWD: Models - Library of Congress

Wells,

"Unlikely"? He really isn't saying anything at all in that statement. I think some people don't want to believe.

Anyway, Agent Cyllus was able to hack obtain Dr. Acoustician's models. I got another buddy of mine to simulate Dr. Full-of-it's project; gave him a copy of the schematics we received from Carla, and had him assign an arbitrary decibel level value to each room, creating clusters of sound based on their official book counts per room. I then compared his results with Caiph's; they are almost identical overlays. When scanned in, computer programs can find only a 0.42% discrepancy.

I've included the results.

Forwarded Message:

To: cfullfölja@████████

From: JMD003@████

Dr. Fullfölja,

It was a pleasure working with you this past week at the Library of Congress. I am writing to inquire about the mapping models you produced, the ones your recommendations to the library were based on. Did you happen to find anything that reproduced the volume discrepancies in them — both the ones on the main floor, and the ones mentioned to you in the basement?

Thank you,

Jeffery Drumel

To: JMD003@████

From: cfullfölja@████████

Jeffery,

Based on the data I collected, I have to say that an internal source is unlikely.

The discrepancies you and your team noted were not accounted for on the models. I noticed that that there were several windows in the areas you mentioned, and upon asking, that the staff intermittently opens them per patron request, barring the weather. I also noticed that the library is surrounded by multiple, four-lane roads which are constantly populated with cars. I wonder if anyone on your team noticed if these were open or cracked.

Cordially,

Caiph

To: cfullfölja@████████

From: JMD003@████

Did you try simulating the books themselves as the source(s) of the sound(s)?

Respectfully,

Drumel

To: JMD003@████

From: cfullfölja@████████

No.

Respectfully,

Ciaph

To: cfullfölja@████████

From: JMD003@████

Can I ask why not?

- Drumel

To: JMD003@████

From: cfullfölja@████████

Sure. Because that is ridiculous.

To: cfullfölja@████████

From: JMD003@████

I bet that if you input the books as the source of the sounds, you'll have an exact match.

- Drumel

To: JMD003@████

From: cfullfölja@████████

I am more afraid of encouraging your peculiar beliefs than discovering something paranormal about all this. Besides, I would be pigeonholing the data too much at that point; you'd get exactly what you want to see and it would only be confirmation bias. I don't care if the model would match up exactly, the idea that the sound could be from the books is unscientific, and frankly, you are not doing a service to your department or the FBI for that matter in this pursuit.

To: cfullfölja@████████

From: JMD003@████

What about the fact that the sound doesn't occur unless someone is in the building?

To: JMD003@████

From: cfullfölja@████████

I admit there are some aspects to this case that I don't quite understand and some psychoacoustics at play that may exceed my expertise. But to have me put in a report to both my firm and the Library of Congress that there are supernatural elements here is equal to academic suicide. Besides, I don't believe it. I don't have an answer, but a lack of it doesn't verify anything else either.

I’ve made my recommendations in order to dampen the sound, and that’s as far as I need to go.

To: JMD003@████

From: MWells@████

Jeff,

Sorry you were called back so quickly. At least he's not putting his head in the sand completely.

We weren't able to make any progress with B2, the sound was just too loud. My people are reorganizing a task force that is apparently equipped for just such environments, if you can believe it.

Thank you for the models. They should be instrumental in developing a plan to deal with the noise on our end. I’m going to recommend something of a mix of your theory and my own for testing designs.

We'll be in touch,

- Wells

c. MTF Beta-14 Exploration Log: Access Transcript

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The Foundation consigned the mobilization of Mobile Task Force Beta-14 ("Hear No Evil")2 to complete a thorough investigation of the second basement level, which exceeded decibel levels sufficient to result in permanent hearing loss. The following is a transcription from video recording devices.

Unit: Mobile Task Force Beta-14 "Hear No Evil"

Personnel: β-1 (Lead), β-2, β-3, β-4

Objective: To sweep the 2nd basement floor in the Library of Congress, documenting anomalous phenomenon therein, and making as-needed decisions with regard to potential containment of any such phenomena.

Foreword: The MTF is comprised of deaf members who communicate via American Sign Language, with the assistance of shared, self-facing video feeds. Command, represented by a Foundation interpreter, also assists in relaying communications. An interpreter has reviewed the video footage and confirmed any questions with the team members.

[BEGIN LOG]

β-1: Final check. Command, do you copy?

Command: Copy Lead, you and your team are go.

β-1: OK.

β-4: I'm already spooked… that librarian won't stop staring at us.

β-3: It's not every day that what looks to be a S.W.A.T. team raids a library.

β-4: I think it's because we're just so good looking.

β-1: Alright team. Eyes forward and on your screens.

β-2: OK.

β-3: OK.

β-4: "D.I.D.D.L.Y."

β-1: (Sighs) 4, please. Let's move. 3, you take the left, 4 you the right, and 2 you caboose it.

β-2: Still? Why don't I just take the "4" designation then?

β-4: That wouldn't work, because then you'd be "before". (Mimics laughing.)

β-3: Cut the banter. Fall in. Let's get this done with so I can see the game on time.

Command: Lead, what does your team see?

β-1: Rows of card catalogs, item containers, and of course books that look very, very old. Typical except there has to be several hundred shelves down here… thousands of individual items, maybe. Team, split up and maintain visuals with one another amid the rows, if not then on screen. Light up if you see something odd or find yourself in danger.

The force continues towards the north wall, members each taking separate isles of shelves. As with previous attempts, efforts to locate a possible source are unremarkable.

β-1: Nothing here from what we can see, Command.

Command: Lead, can you and your team each pick up a text and read it please?

β-1: OK.

The task force members each select a nearby text from the shelves and begin to read.

Command: Anything odd going on?

The task force members are quiet, but can be seen in a state of disbelief via video feeds. β-2 can be seen weeping.

β-1: I- I can hear the words.

Command: Can the other members confirm this as well?

β-3: Confirmed.

β-2: Confirmed.

β-4: Confirmed.

[END LOG]

Closing Statement: The exploration resolved without any other notable events. Members of Beta-14 collected a variety of texts at the request of Command.

2. Testing

The following describes a series of tests in which texts, including the documents retrieved from B1 and B2, were situated in an anechoic chamber,3 and the environment analyzed by both an array of high-sensitivity, directional microphones, and a Foundation operative. The operative placed in the anechoic chamber was the same across all trials, and had passed several medical and auditory sensitivity tests.4 The operative was asked to hold his breath and remain still during recordings.

+ Display Logs

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Test #: 01

Design: No texts are placed in the chamber.

Results: Three frequencies are noted and recorded:

A low-pitched rhythm of tones, determined to be the subject's cardiovascular system.

A high-pitched hum, determined to be the electricity supplying the microphone array.

Intermittent low-pitched percussive sounds, determined to be the joints of the moving subject.

The purpose of this study was to set a control environment, by which to normalize future tests and allow for the detection of additional frequencies.

Test #: 02a

Design: Texts recovered from the basements of the Library of Congress are situated in the chamber with the individual. Sample is refined to include those texts written by authors who are living, per request of Agent Wells.

Results: No additional frequencies reported by individual. No additional frequencies recorded by microphone array.

Test #: 02b

Design: Texts recovered from the basements of the Library of Congress are situated in the chamber with the individual. Sample is refined to include those texts written by authors who are no longer living.

Results: An additional, faint, low-pitched frequency is reported by the individual. No additional noise is recorded by the microphone array.

Test #: 03a

Design: As many texts as can fit in the chamber are supplied by sources other than the Library of Congress5 are situated in the chamber with the individual. Sample is refined to include texts written by authors who are living.

Result: No additional frequencies reported by individual. No additional frequencies recorded by microphone array.

Test #: 03b

Design: Texts supplied by same sources in 03a are situated in the chamber with the individual. Sample is refined to include the same concentration of texts, but includes only those written by authors who are no longer living.

Result: An additional, faint, low-pitched frequency is reported by the individual. An additional frequency is recorded by the microphone array.

3. Operation Reading Rainbow

The Foundation organized and initiated Operation Reading Rainbow in order to further research leads regarding the anomalous nature of SCP-4058. The goal was to recreate SCP-4058 by amassing a sufficient concentration and proximity of eligible texts.6

a. Summary Report: Display File

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Summary Report

-Operation R.R.-

Marlon Lawrence, Research Lead

Dear Agent Wells,

Thank you for your consult to Foundation R&D on the matter affecting the library. Below is a summary of our findings and our recommendations.

As approved by our Administration, R&D designed and conducted a series of trials that aimed to further elucidate the nature of the phenomenon. Manifestations were recreated via the understood conditions.

Trials that focused on accumulating copies of the works of a single, deceased author resulted in less dissonant, more euphonic instances. Additionally, the memetic data was more clear and coherent in its voice and message when the sample of texts was restricted to one author, and when authors of similar subject material and conclusions were grouped together.

The memetic narration did not manifest on subsequent readings of the same texts, and the overall volume of the noise gradually reduced as the texts were read. More specific studies confirmed that reading the participating texts completely eradicated the emitted sound.

It is the recommendation of this staff that a maximum count of textual items be established for all libraries, and their concentration and proximity be avoided.

For the case at hand, this can be achieved by two proposals. The first method is for the collections of the Library of Congress to be divided and reallocated in order to move away from the threshold count of texts. Alternatively, and if the library is to keep its collection intact (assumed to be the favored outcome), a sufficient number of texts must be read periodically and in their entirety in order to resolve the sound.

To this end, the Foundation would be able to dedicate a rotating staff whose task will be to read all eligible texts in the library, and continue to do so daily for the incoming additions that fit the conditions to contribute to the phenomenon.

b. Follow-Up Correspondence: Show File

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To: CHayden@████████

From: MWells@████

Dear Mrs. Hayden,

Thank you for the collaboration on the issues at the library. To answer your question, the phenomenon — in our conclusion at least — indisputably originates from the books themselves. We do not have a classification to explain an item understood at-large to be non-anomalous, but that discreetly houses anomalous qualities only evident in uncommon circumstances, but the closest thing we have would be "Safe". It has been diagnosed as such, and I hope this puts you somewhat at ease.

We estimate that with a large enough staff, the sound should be inaudible in approximately 14 months. We've arranged a cover-story regarding necessary library renovations to be disseminated where necessary. After it's resolved, we'll scale back the staff to a number less-congesting, yet sufficient to keep the operation going and the books… happy.

That brings me to your other question. While the official reports will only go so far as the how of the thing, I believe the why behind it is rather familiar. My mother told me that when we die, we become our stories. I was also told by my father to never underestimate human willpower, especially when it seeks to sustain itself.

The sounds are the deceased desperate to be alive again.

Thank you for your hospitality,

-Agent Wells

Footnotes

1. The 14th Librarian of Congress.

2. A task force utilized in environments where silence is imperative or that precludes the use of audio communication.

3. A room engineered to totally assimilate sounds, achieving unnaturally quiet conditions.

4. E.g. tests for air conduction of sound waves, bone conduction of sound waves, and for low-grade tinnitus.

5. Sources include texts from local libraries, book stores, and Foundation personnel private collections.

6. Texts must be physical and authored by individuals who are deceased to be considered eligible.