Arrest Distracts Students in Lamont

Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) officers arrested an extension school student Wednesday afternoon for disorderly conduct in Lamont Library.

Eyewitnesses reported that the student created a loud disturbance in the lobby of the library during a peak study time.

Sources familiar with the incident said the woman, whom HUPD identified as 23-year-old Barbara Materna of Cambridge, was taking unauthorized photographs in the library.

Harvard requires anyone wishing to take photographs in its libraries to obtain permission beforehand.

HUPD spokesperson Steven G. Catalano said Materna “has a history of inappropriate behavior which she had been warned about previously.”

When officers arrived at Lamont around 3:20 p.m. on Wednesday after library staff requested assistance, Materna was “uncooperative and created a scene,” Catalano said. He added that Materna refused to display identification after several requests.

The registrar’s office at the extension school confirmed that Materna is an extension school student. Catalano could only say that Materna “had a privilege to be in the library” but declined to comment on her University affiliation.

The confrontation between the officers and Materna in the lobby near the third floor entrance caught the attention of Paul K. Reardon ’06, who was in Lamont at the time of the incident.

“They argued very loudly. It was loud enough that people noticed,” Reardon said.

Materna was arraigned yesterday morning and released on her own recognizance, said Seth I. Horowitz, spokesperson for the Middlesex County District Attorney’s office. A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for Feb. 3.

Attempts to reach Materna were unsuccessful yesterday.

—Staff writer Jenifer L. Steinhardt can be reached at steinhar@fas.harvard.edu.