If you thought libraries were merely quiet sanctuaries for bookworms, think again. Here are the top 10 creepiest libraries where the atmosphere is as unsettling as the collections they guard, and where you might seriously reconsider staying after closing.
Why These Are the Top 10 Creepiest Libraries
10 The Nassau Public Library
The Nassau Public Library, the Bahamas’ largest and oldest library, houses a trove of Arawak artifacts, historic prints, colonial documents and antiquated newspapers. Yet the building’s origins are far from scholarly – it was erected in 1797 by Joseph Eveas as a correctional workhouse, essentially a jail. Today, patrons peruse books in what were once cramped cells, and the basement is ominously nicknamed “the dungeon.”
9 Weapon of Mass Instruction
Picture strolling down a street when a massive armored tank rolls past, its turret glinting menacingly. That’s the spectacle created by Argentine artist Raul Lemesoff, who converted a 1970 Ford Falcon into a mobile library dubbed “A Weapon of Mass Instruction.” The vehicle can carry up to 900 books, delivering literacy instead of firepower. Lemesoff describes the tank as a social‑good machine that “makes a mess of people’s heads” by handing out and collecting books, turning what looks like a war machine into a whimsical, community‑focused wonder.
8 Conjuring Arts Research Center
The Conjuring Arts Research Center, tucked into mid‑Manhattan, reads like a chapter from a wizarding novel. Its tightly‑packed stacks contain hundreds of magic‑theory books, some predating the 18th century, alongside original stage‑magic apparatus and massive mechanical rigs that once dazzled audiences worldwide. Access is by appointment only, though the center collaborates with nearby magic shops for public viewings.
7 University of Southern Denmark
The University of Southern Denmark might seem like any other academic library, but three rare volumes from the 16th and 17th centuries were discovered to be laced with arsenic. The green pigment “Paris Green,” popular in the 19th century for wallpaper and clothing, was also used as a pesticide on book covers to deter insects. Unfortunately, arsenic’s toxicity is permanent, turning those books into hazardous artifacts now stored in sealed, protective boxes with strict handling restrictions.
6 New York Puppet Library
The New York Puppet Library, housed at Brooklyn College, boasts a collection of nearly one hundred unusual puppets, some towering in size. While the puppets are fascinating by day, the library’s eerie atmosphere intensifies after dark, with the marionettes suspended twenty feet above the floor. To borrow a puppet, patrons must climb a ladder into the rafters, all while the painted eyes of the puppets seem to follow their every move.
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5 Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library
The Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library is a veritable monster zoo of literature. Its shelves overflow with manuscripts depicting dragons, basilisks, manticores, and other fantastical beasts. Among its treasures is a 1559 edition of the Cosmographia, featuring illustrations of dog‑headed humans, and an 1882 copy of Frankenstein whose cover showcases a gaunt, sinister version of Shelley’s creature—long before Hollywood cemented its image. In 2018, the library even staged an exhibition called “De Monstris,” spotlighting its extensive monster lore.
4 Alaska Resources Library and Information Services
Imagine walking among shelves lined not with books but with glass eyes staring back at you. That’s the experience at Alaska Resources Library and Information Services (ARLIS), the nation’s only library devoted to “realia”—animal skeletons, skulls, furs, and taxidermied specimens. Primarily serving educators and scientists, ARLIS’s macabre collection even made its way onto the big screen; the 2013 thriller The Frozen Ground borrowed several specimens for its serial‑killer set design.
3 Newberry Library
Chicago’s Newberry Library may appear as a standard research institution, but hidden among its religious texts is a 17th‑century spellbook entitled “The Book of Magical Charms,” penned by two anonymous witches. The manuscript contains enchantments ranging from cheating at dice to raising the dead, some requiring grim ingredients like dead men’s teeth. The library also safeguards “The Commonplace Book” and “Cases of Conscience Concerning Witchcraft,” the latter authored by Increase Mather, who presided over the Salem Witch Trials. In 2017, the Newberry invited the public to help translate these occult works.
2 Historical Medical Library
The Historical Medical Library, part of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, served as the city’s central medical repository from 1788 through the early 20th century. Its collection boasts over four hundred pre‑1501 editions, featuring graphic illustrations of blood‑letting, trepanning, and other gruesome procedures. While the material is undeniably valuable for medical historians, the vivid depictions of invasive practices are far from comforting to peruse.
1 Patee Library—Penn State
On November 28, 1969, 22‑year‑old Betsy Ruth Aardsma was brutally stabbed in the basement of Penn State’s Patee Library. She was attacked from behind, with no sexual assault involved, and the case remains unsolved despite suspicion falling on various individuals, including her boyfriend and even serial killer Ted Bundy. The mystery endures, and the basement stacks have earned a reputation as a place you’d think twice before wandering alone.
+ English Crime and Execution Broadsides Collection
This isn’t a library in the traditional sense, but Harvard Law School’s English Crime and Execution Broadsides Collection is a chilling assemblage of nearly 600 single‑sided sheets—known as broadsides—detailing capital crimes and punishments in England and Wales between 1735 and 1868. The documents recount arson, rape, assault and murder, complete with vivid illustrations of execution scenes and the condemned’s final words.
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About The Author: A.L. Montone is a magician based in Baltimore, Maryland, co‑founder of the Baltimore Academy of Magic, playwright, and former director of a historic house and museum.