diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/authenticate/BasicAuthenticator.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/authenticate/BasicAuthenticator.java
index 9f01a1c57..ff299596e 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/authenticate/BasicAuthenticator.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/authenticate/BasicAuthenticator.java
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ import edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.dao.UserAccountsDao;
 import edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.dao.WebappDaoFactory;
 import edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.dao.jena.LoginEvent;
 import edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.dao.jena.LogoutEvent;
+import edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.search.indexing.IndexBuilder;
 
 /**
  * The "standard" implementation of Authenticator.
@@ -136,8 +137,7 @@ public class BasicAuthenticator extends Authenticator {
 		
 		if (IsRootUser.isRootUser(RequestIdentifiers
 				.getIdBundleForRequest(request))) {
-			// Insert method call here.
-		}
+			IndexBuilder.checkIndexOnRootLogin(request);		}
 	}
 
 	/**
diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/search/beans/IndexerIface.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/search/beans/IndexerIface.java
index d851e6b3e..24947f021 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/search/beans/IndexerIface.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/search/beans/IndexerIface.java
@@ -56,4 +56,6 @@ public interface IndexerIface {
      * This may be called instead of endIndexing()
      */
     public void abortIndexingAndCleanUp();
+    
+    public boolean isIndexEmpty();
 }
diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/search/indexing/IndexBuilder.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/search/indexing/IndexBuilder.java
index 03568ee1e..b99fbe564 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/search/indexing/IndexBuilder.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/search/indexing/IndexBuilder.java
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@ import java.util.LinkedList;
 import java.util.List;
 
 import javax.servlet.ServletContext;
+import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
+import javax.servlet.http.HttpSession;
 
 import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
@@ -195,7 +197,20 @@ public class IndexBuilder extends Thread {
     }
 
   
-	/* ******************** non-public methods ************************* */
+    public static void checkIndexOnRootLogin(HttpServletRequest req){
+    	HttpSession session = req.getSession();
+    	ServletContext context = session.getServletContext();
+    	IndexBuilder indexBuilder = (IndexBuilder)context.getAttribute(IndexBuilder.class.getName());
+    	
+    	log.debug("Checking if the index is empty");
+    	if(indexBuilder.indexer.isIndexEmpty()){
+    		log.info("Index is empty. Running a full index rebuild!");
+    		indexBuilder.doIndexRebuild();
+    	}
+    }	
+    
+    
+    /* ******************** non-public methods ************************* */
     
     private List<Statement> getAndEmptyChangedStatements(){
         List<Statement> localChangedStmt = null;