University of Wisconsin students and staff were forced away from their books and into the blustery, precipitous cold afternoon air Wednesday as Memorial Library was evacuated when several electricians accidentally tripped an alarm.

Around 1:30 p.m. fire alarms rang through the stacks of the UW library, bewildering its studious occupants.

The building’s inhabitants were suddenly faced with a choice: either cut and run, abandoning their books and laptops, or toss their school materials into their bags before following the herd of students snaking their way down the stairwells.

UW junior Holly Schult, a scanner for the Wisconsin Interlibrary Loan Service, said she was immediately curious as to the cause of the alarm, finally deciding if fire were the cause, it would be better not to leave her valuables behind.

“It was weird to have to make that judgment: whether to bring your stuff or not,” Schult said. “There seemed to be a lot of confusion about that.”

She added it was unclear whether it was a drill at first.

In reality, fire was not threatening the archival throngs of books lining the shelves of Memorial Library. The true cause for evacuation was a pair of general electricians carrying out a routine operation in the library, accidentally tripping a wire and setting off the alarm, according to the UW Police Department.

The voice pouring from the building’s automated speaker system successfully maintained calm and order among the wondering students, Holt said.

A Madison fire truck arrived on the scene in minutes, driving onto the mall in front of the library. Two firefighters wasted no time entering the building, one wielding an ax.

As the firefighters rounded the building, ensuring safety before re-entry, some students sucked on cigarettes and clung to warm cups of coffee while bearing the cold November rain, Schult said.

“It was fairly crowded (on the mall),” Schult said. “There was one semi-elderly women running around telling people stand by the fountain, but people didn’t really listen.”

With no smoke, fire or real emergency to speak of, students and staff were granted re-entry into the building, thankful to escape the dreary weather and return to their work.