Inventory control devices and methods for controlling the inventory of a data storage system are disclosed. In one embodiment, the inventory control device comprises a sensor to sense a position of an access device of a data storage system, the access device having an open position and a closed position, a circuit communicatively coupled to the sensor to output a circuit state indicating if the access device was opened while the data storage system was shut down, and control logic communicatively coupled to the circuit to cause the data storage system to inventory one or more storage locations associated with the access device only if the circuit state indicates the access device was opened.