The Super Secret HLS (1 of 5)

According to the building's floor map, most of the first floor of the Harold B. Lee library's subterranean wing is devoted to "Special Collections". Most of the Students at Brigham Young University accept this this as a reality. Those more familiar with the operations of university libraries note the exceptionally large area occupied by the HBLL's Special Collections and erroneously conclude that they are ten to fifteen times the size of the special collections at comparable schools.

The truth is a closely guarded secret whose roots stem back to the darkest days of the Cold War. In the weeks before his assassination, President Kennedy became more and more concerned with the nation's knowledge base: primarily the wealth of knowledge located in university libraries across the country. In his last Executive Order, he authorized the creation of a crack commando unit to be based out of a secret location on one of America's University campuses. The purpose of this unit was to provide quick response and protection for the academic libraries across the nation. This unit was to be ultra mobile and highly trained in special operations. Furthermore, the commando's were to be selected from the brightest of nation's young librarians. The first floor of the subterranean wing of the Howard B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University was chosen to be their principal base of operations.

Though under the direct control of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the unit was cryptically named the Office of Information Services. However, because of the youthful and coeducational composition of the unit, it became known among inner military circles as as the Hot Librarian Squad.