FARMINGTON — It's back to lock and key for the latest book from J.K. Rowling.

When copies of "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" arrive in Utah, they are to be kept away from the prying eyes of the public and librarians alike until the Dec. 4 release date, according to a contract from Scholastic Inc., the book's publisher.

But the Davis County Library staff is used to this sort of thing.

Scholastic had executed a similar contract with libraries in April 2007 before the July 2007 release of the final book in the Harry Potter series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."

That contract stated that failure to keep "Deathly Hallows" under wraps until the release date could get libraries blacklisted from future embargoed titles.

"We acknowledge and agree that any such violation will cause irreparable harm to Scholastic and the author, J.K. Rowling, and that monetary damages will be inadequate to compensate for violations," the contract stated.

Tuesday, Davis County commissioners quickly approved the contract with Scholastic.

"We don't want a spell cast on us," said Commissioner Bret Millburn, reprising the joke he made in 2007.

Scholastic isn't the only publisher to specifically ask libraries to protect new releases.

When Stephenie Meyer's latest book, "Breaking Dawn," was to hit the shelves in August, the library was required to keep the books in a safe place until an appointed time, said assistant director Jerry Meyer.

But it's rare for publishers to make such specific requests, Jerry Meyer said. Scholastic didn't begin sending contracts until after the first few Harry Potter books became a huge draw.

"The Tales of Beedle the Bard" is the third spinoff book from the Harry Potter series and plays an important role in the final book. The other two books previously published — "Quidditch Through the Ages" and "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" — were mentioned in early Harry Potter books.

According to a news release from Scholastic, Rowling produced seven individual copies of "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" in 2007, each handwritten and illustrated on vellum, bound in brown morocco leather and mounted with different semi-precious stones.

The five tales in "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" are "The Fountain of Fair Fortune," "The Warlock's Hairy Heart," "The Tale of the Three Brothers," "The Wizard and the Hopping Pot" and "Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump."

Utah libraries have already ordered copies of "Beedle the Bard" for the Dec. 4 release date.

The Salt Lake City Libraries' five branches will share 20 copies of "Beedle the Bard." Davis County's seven branches will share 18 copies, and Weber County's five branches will share 14 copies. Salt Lake County Library Services has 206 copies on order for its 18 branches.

Thirteen holds on the book have been placed in Salt Lake City, 48 in Davis, and 274 in the Salt Lake County system. Weber County patrons can start reserving the book Nov. 3.

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