diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/search/documentBuilding/ContextNodeFields.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/search/documentBuilding/ContextNodeFields.java
index 249d528bc..e0e698466 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/search/documentBuilding/ContextNodeFields.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/search/documentBuilding/ContextNodeFields.java
@@ -106,8 +106,6 @@ public class ContextNodeFields implements DocumentModifier, ContextModelsUser{
             }
             allValues.append(valuesForQuery);
         }
-        
-        rdfService.close();
         return allValues;    
     }       
     
diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/search/documentBuilding/ThumbnailImageURL.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/search/documentBuilding/ThumbnailImageURL.java
index 3e2e7c4d7..e99db5916 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/search/documentBuilding/ThumbnailImageURL.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/search/documentBuilding/ThumbnailImageURL.java
@@ -89,8 +89,6 @@ public class ThumbnailImageURL implements DocumentModifier, ContextModelsUser {
 			}
 		}catch(Throwable t){                
 			log.error(t,t);
-		} finally{
-			rdf.close();
 		}				
 		return result.toString();
 	}
diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/triplesource/impl/tdb/ConfigurationTripleSourceTDB.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/triplesource/impl/tdb/ConfigurationTripleSourceTDB.java
index a57f24a23..187205daf 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/triplesource/impl/tdb/ConfigurationTripleSourceTDB.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/triplesource/impl/tdb/ConfigurationTripleSourceTDB.java
@@ -33,14 +33,18 @@ import edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.utils.logging.ToString;
  * returns that single RDFService, a single instance of the Dataset and the
  * ModelMaker.
  * 
+ * We keep a copy of the RDFService wrapped in an Unclosable shell, and hand
+ * that out when requested. The inner RDFService is only closed on shutdown().
+ * 
  * Memory-map all of the configuration models, and add the standard decorators.
  */
 public class ConfigurationTripleSourceTDB extends ConfigurationTripleSource {
 
 	private static final String DIRECTORY_TDB = "tdbModels";
 
+	private volatile RDFService rdfService;
 	private RDFServiceFactory rdfServiceFactory;
-	private RDFService rdfService;
+	private RDFService unclosableRdfService;
 	private Dataset dataset;
 	private ModelMaker modelMaker;
 
@@ -53,9 +57,10 @@ public class ConfigurationTripleSourceTDB extends ConfigurationTripleSource {
 		String tdbPath = vitroHome.resolve(DIRECTORY_TDB).toString();
 
 		try {
-			this.rdfServiceFactory = createRDFServiceFactory(tdbPath);
-			this.rdfService = this.rdfServiceFactory.getRDFService();
-			this.dataset = new RDFServiceDataset(this.rdfService);
+			this.rdfService = new RDFServiceTDB(tdbPath);
+			this.rdfServiceFactory = createRDFServiceFactory();
+			this.unclosableRdfService = this.rdfServiceFactory.getRDFService();
+			this.dataset = new RDFServiceDataset(this.unclosableRdfService);
 			this.modelMaker = createModelMaker();
 			ss.info("Initialized the RDF source for TDB");
 		} catch (IOException e) {
@@ -68,16 +73,15 @@ public class ConfigurationTripleSourceTDB extends ConfigurationTripleSource {
 		TDB.getContext().setTrue(TDB.symUnionDefaultGraph);
 	}
 
-	private RDFServiceFactory createRDFServiceFactory(String tdbPath)
-			throws IOException {
+	private RDFServiceFactory createRDFServiceFactory() {
 		return new LoggingRDFServiceFactory(new RDFServiceFactorySingle(
-				new RDFServiceTDB(tdbPath)));
+				this.rdfService));
 	}
 
 	private ModelMaker createModelMaker() {
 		ModelMaker longTermModelMaker = new ListCachingModelMaker(
 				new MemoryMappingModelMaker(new RDFServiceModelMaker(
-						this.rdfService), CONFIGURATION_MODELS));
+						this.unclosableRdfService), CONFIGURATION_MODELS));
 		return addConfigurationDecorators(longTermModelMaker);
 	}
 
@@ -88,7 +92,7 @@ public class ConfigurationTripleSourceTDB extends ConfigurationTripleSource {
 
 	@Override
 	public RDFService getRDFService() {
-		return this.rdfService;
+		return this.unclosableRdfService;
 	}
 
 	@Override
@@ -115,8 +119,11 @@ public class ConfigurationTripleSourceTDB extends ConfigurationTripleSource {
 
 	@Override
 	public void shutdown(Application application) {
-		if (this.rdfService != null) {
-			this.rdfService.close();
+		synchronized (this) {
+			if (this.rdfService != null) {
+				this.rdfService.close();
+				this.rdfService = null;
+			}
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/triplesource/impl/tdb/ContentTripleSourceTDB.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/triplesource/impl/tdb/ContentTripleSourceTDB.java
index 8eae53cdb..439cf2a63 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/triplesource/impl/tdb/ContentTripleSourceTDB.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/triplesource/impl/tdb/ContentTripleSourceTDB.java
@@ -33,13 +33,17 @@ import edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.utils.logging.ToString;
  * returns that single RDFService, a single instance of the Dataset and the
  * ModelMaker.
  * 
+ * We keep a copy of the RDFService wrapped in an Unclosable shell, and hand
+ * that out when requested. The inner RDFService is only closed on shutdown().
+ * 
  * Memory-map the small content models, and add the standard decorators.
  */
 public class ContentTripleSourceTDB extends ContentTripleSource {
 	private String tdbPath;
 
+	private volatile RDFService rdfService;
 	private RDFServiceFactory rdfServiceFactory;
-	private RDFService rdfService;
+	private RDFService unclosableRdfService;
 	private Dataset dataset;
 	private ModelMaker modelMaker;
 
@@ -68,7 +72,8 @@ public class ContentTripleSourceTDB extends ContentTripleSource {
 		try {
 			this.rdfService = new RDFServiceTDB(tdbPath);
 			this.rdfServiceFactory = createRDFServiceFactory();
-			this.dataset = new RDFServiceDataset(this.rdfService);
+			this.unclosableRdfService = this.rdfServiceFactory.getRDFService();
+			this.dataset = new RDFServiceDataset(this.unclosableRdfService);
 			this.modelMaker = createModelMaker();
 			ss.info("Initialized the RDF source for TDB");
 		} catch (IOException e) {
@@ -89,7 +94,7 @@ public class ContentTripleSourceTDB extends ContentTripleSource {
 	private ModelMaker createModelMaker() {
 		return addContentDecorators(new ListCachingModelMaker(
 				new MemoryMappingModelMaker(new RDFServiceModelMaker(
-						this.rdfService), SMALL_CONTENT_MODELS)));
+						this.unclosableRdfService), SMALL_CONTENT_MODELS)));
 	}
 
 	@Override
@@ -99,7 +104,7 @@ public class ContentTripleSourceTDB extends ContentTripleSource {
 
 	@Override
 	public RDFService getRDFService() {
-		return this.rdfService;
+		return this.unclosableRdfService;
 	}
 
 	@Override
@@ -126,9 +131,11 @@ public class ContentTripleSourceTDB extends ContentTripleSource {
 
 	@Override
 	public void shutdown(Application application) {
-		if (this.rdfService != null) {
-			this.rdfService.close();
+		synchronized (this) {
+			if (this.rdfService != null) {
+				this.rdfService.close();
+				this.rdfService = null;
+			}
 		}
 	}
-
 }