SCP-2177 infection ██ months after an Alpha event.
Item #: SCP-2177
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures: STRIX intelligence packages embedded in library collections management software are to monitor institutions for titles associated with SCP-2177 infection. Infections have been identified in 17 institutions, including ██ academic libraries, █ private collections, and the former non-classified public library of Site 111.
Infected institutions are to be infiltrated by at least two Level-2 personnel in supervisory positions, including at least one containment specialist with training in library/information science. SCP-2177 infections are to be quarantined in restricted collections or secure archives not open to the public. In order to avoid Alpha events, new instances of SCP-2177-1 must be shelved according to existing institutional policies. No attempt should be allowed to remove SCP-2177 infections from these institutions. Civilians exposed to SCP-2177-1 are to be detained and administered Class C amnestics.
In order to avoid Beta events, Regional Directors have been authorized to provide financial and political support required to keep infected institutions in operation. If a Beta event is unavoidable, Mobile Task Force Alpha-4 ("Pony Express") is to intercept all deliveries of documents to vulnerable institutions and seize SCP-2177-1 instances until such time as a suitable institution can be infiltrated and infected.
Description: SCP-2177 is a virus-like pathogen that targets libraries holding print subscriptions to large numbers (> 50) of technical journals. SCP-2177 takes the form of documentation requesting that a journal or document be added to the institution’s collection. This request is always in the correct format for the receiving institution, and occasionally includes misinformation suggesting a pre-existing record. Once SCP-2177 has been entered into the catalog in any capacity, its record is altered to indicate an ongoing subscription to a technical journal. This facilitates reproduction, with new instances of SCP-2177-1 arriving amongst existing subscriptions. Reproduction rates range from 1 item every three months to 1 item per month2.
SCP-2177-1 refers to the physical carapace of SCP-2177, which always takes the form of a 24 x 30 cm technical journal bound in yellow pasteboard. SCP-2177-1 always contains the SCP-2177 pathogen, although in advanced infections this may only consist of a tailored address label. SCP-2177-1 contents and findings are not anomalous, but always refer to large-scale unethical testing on human subjects. (Sample contents of SCP-2177-1 are available in Addendum 2177-01.)
Alpha events occur when infected institutions intentionally discard new instances of SCP-2177-1, attempt to physically remove all SCP-2177-1 instances, or attempt to eliminate SCP-2177 from the catalog. SCP-2177 infections have been shown to adapt to these threats in the following ways:
- Drastically increasing reproduction rates (up to 1 item per week).
- Subdividing to multiply reproduction (e.g dividing a title into Series A, B, and C)
- Creating additional instances of infection under other titles and technical fields.
Beta events occur when an SCP-2177 infection is successfully eliminated or when an infected institution ceases operation. In Beta events, SCP-2177 will be transmitted to other vulnerable libraries until at least one institution becomes infected. Transmission vectors include any shipment of documents to a library, including returned materials and large donations. SCP-2177 will initially target institutions with names or street addresses superficially similar to the previously-infected institution, but these criteria become less strict as transmission time increases.
Addendum 2177-01: Sample contents of SCP-2177-1
Document 2177-1947-01 - Level 3 Access Required