The Elvis biography has just left the building, and nobody checked it out
A primer on library theft
Every year, libraries lose increasing amounts of valuable books and other materials to thieves. Here’s an overview of theft techniques and the ways that you can reduce losses throughout your system.
You and the circ desk staff were chatting with patrons or working at terminals as I sauntered through the stacks and out the library’s rear door. You should keep it locked, but on hot days like this you prop it open to allow the breeze to cool your workplace.
For the record, I’ve just stolen the latest biography of Margaret Atwood, three magnificently illustrated works on French painting, and popular hardcover fiction by John Updike, Brian Moore, and Toni Morrison. Not a bad haul, although it’s not my biggest or most valuable. I’ve removed veritable mountains of items from libraries over the years, and I’ve bagged some superb collectibles.
4.1 Spot the crook
Who am I? In fact there is no consistently dependable psychological profile for a book thief. I could be anyone: an elderly woman in a bulky overcoat, a boy with a knapsack and rollerblades, or a young mother pushing a stroller. You might assume that street people pose the biggest risk to your collection, but junkies and drunks are not necessarily the most frequent or successful book thieves. Doctors, lawyers, and business leaders have all been caught in the act, as have clergy of every denomination. Students are notorious for library theft, but certain professors are no better. Even library school faculty members have been suspected of stealing: in one case, an archival studies professor was investigated for looting his university’s special collections division. He was never charged, but his teaching contract was not renewed. He found a new job in a library in the United States. You have to admire his initiative.
Before you start moaning about the wickedness of the world, consider yourself and your colleagues. Fascinating new titles arrive in tech services every day: have you ever been tempted to take one home and read it before it is processed for general circulation? Isn’t such “borrowing” your right as a hard-working professional? Don’t you intend to return that title as soon as you’ve finished it? Isn’t reading new titles that arrive a form of professional development?
In most cases, these questions are attempts to justify theft of public property. You are not entitled to take books from your library without going through the standard check-out procedure. Is there a library that allows staff to do so? Has any board approved such a policy? Is it warm in here, or is that a blush?
4.2 Why steal?
In your defense, there are different motivations for stealing books from libraries, some more pardonable than others. If you’ve taken home unprocessed titles for a fast read before the public takes its turn and there is no doubt that you will return those titles promptly and in good condition, then your crime hardly merits eternal damnation. If, however, you’re selling those titles to second-hand book dealers for extra and untaxed income, you’re no better than any other book thief.
Theft for resale is common, despite the library’s marks of ownership. It’s easy to remove many labels and plastic covers, and even if a book is stamped, it is still saleable. Second-hand book dealers are often willing to buy and sell ex-library materials, since to dedicated readers and collectors a former library copy of a desirable title is better than none. A “withdrawn from collection” stamp reduces the value of a book, but not completely. A first edition of a rare book is attractive, even with labels and stamp impressions. Incidentally, for about $20 many stamp manufacturers will produce an exact copy of any stamp that your library uses. For the best—or worst—use of a bogus stamp, read on.
Intellectual packratting is another motivation for book theft. There is so much to read and understand; there are so many different stories and visions and ways of thinking to investigate. Even if I don’t have the time and inclination to study Milton and Dante and William Blake, at least I can have their works on my shelves in preparation for the day when time and inclination coincide and I’m ready to visit their versions of heaven and hell. But books are expensive, and shoplifting from a busy, security-conscious megastore such as Waterstones is risky. So I might as well “borrow” Milton and Co. indefinitely from the library. It’s easy to do, and how often do people end up in court for stealing library books? (By the way, has anyone ever served a jail sentence for stealing Milton’s Paradise Lost?).
Preventive theft occurs most often on university campuses. Jealous Professor Smith wants to stop up-and-coming Professor Jones from finishing a research project, publishing a learned article, and securing another large grant. Smith steals certain titles from the university library. He knows that Jones needs these titles, and now Jones must obtain them through interlibrary loan, which takes time and adds to his expenses. Using a razor or exacto knife, Smith might also remove articles, diagrams, maps, and tables from other titles that he assumes Jones will need. As the scramble for research funding becomes more competitive, academic librarians have good reason to fear the increasing depredations of their collections at the hands of the Smiths.
Finally, theft is fun. It’s a game, a challenge, a sport. When I walk out your door with Hemingway’s Death in the Afternoon under my coat, I can almost hear the crowds shout Olé! Maneuvring through your collections, avoiding the gaze of the library assistants, careful not to attract the attention of honest patrons, I feel a rush of excitement. This is my way of winning in a world that made me a loser. And it’s so much safer than robbing a shop.
4.3 How it’s done
A library thief develops a modus operandi or style of stealing that includes one or more of the following techniques.
4.3.1 Under the coat
A traditional method of concealing items before walking out an exit. “Under the coat” includes hiding items in pockets, tucking them in an armpit, and securing them close to the body under a tightened belt. Very effective in libraries without Tattle-Tape systems. Not advisable during the hot summer months, since persons in overcoats look suspicious indoors during heat waves.
4.3.2 False briefcase compartment
Usually in the form of a false bottom space or a concealed side pocket. False compartments are good for hiding smaller items, but consider other techniques if you plan to rip off large-format volumes.
4.3.3 The chutzpah glide
As its name implies, this technique requires shameless audacity as well as an ability to keep cool and look inconspicuous. You simply walk out the library exit carrying the items that you’re stealing. You make no effort to conceal them. You can tuck scraps of paper in those items to look as though you’ve marked your place in works that you’ve been studying for an extended period. You seem to be a mature and serious student. Above all, you must appear confident. Your move toward the exit must be calm, unhurried, and nonchalant. You must not attract attention. This technique is effective during busy times when staff are attending to the needs of honest patrons.
4.3.4 The unprotected exit
In libraries where you are threatened by Tattle-Tape or vigilant staff, unprotected exits are ideal for a fast and inconspicuous departure. Look for side and rear exits, basement doors, and any windows large enough to allow undetected egress.
4.3.5 The unprotected and unmonitored staff area
To leave the library by cutting through a staff area requires chutzpah, but you’d be surprised how easy it is to wander unchallenged through the back rooms, basements, and miscellaneous storage areas of many libraries. There is almost always a staff door through which you and your booty can escape.
Some thieves are bold enough to wear a library staff member’s identity badge, available from former staff or custom made by the same people who make stamps and other business paraphernalia. Because of high turnover and large on-call staffs in many library systems, it’s unlikely that anyone will immediately peg you as a fraud. In fact, well-mannered librarians might offer to direct you to the most convenient exit. After all, good service is the hallmark of the profession.
4.3.6 The baby carrier scam
A variation on the theme of the false briefcase compartment. You don’t even need a real baby, as long as you use a carrier that effectively conceals its contents. Traditional prams, strollers, wagons, and snugglies have been employed in successful thefts. The larger the carrier, the more you can carry out, and with a big pram you have room for bulky nonbook items such as computer hardware, A-V equipment, and artworks. It’s wise to act like a real parent when you use a baby carrier. Take time to adjust that blanket and coo softly at those darling car manuals and CDs that you’re about to rip off. At least you don’t have to change their diapers.
4.3.7 The phoney “withdrawn from collection” stamp
First, visit the library sale shelves. For $1, buy a discarded book that contains a clear stamp impression of “withdrawn from collection.” Have an exact copy of this stamp made, for approximately $20. Buy the right color of ink (usually blue or red) from a stationer. Return to the library and select the books you want. Take them into a washroom cubicle and, with your phoney stamp, leave clear impressions in the usual places: endpapers, title pages, etc. Then take them to the circ desk and purchase them as discards for $1 each. The circ desk clerk will even deactivate the Tattle-Tape for you, after which you’re free to go. In order to leave endpapers and title pages clear, some thieves use erasable ink for their phoney stamp impressions. Variations on this technique include bogus stamps from other libraries and phoney date due stamps. Be sure to adapt this technique into the procedures of the library that you’re… patronizing.
4.3.8 Bag and drop
This technique is frequently used in libraries that employ state-of-the-art Tattle-Tape systems, which are difficult to circumvent. All you need is a bag of some sort to hold the items that you want. When your bag is full, drop it out a window, preferably on a soft and inconspicuous spot such as a bush or a pile of garbage in an open dumpster. If you must drop your bag from a height of several storeys, make sure that it’s properly padded to absorb the impact.
“Bag and drop” has been used in some of the most impressive library rip-offs. In one notorious case, the thief was spotted dropping his bag by passers-by. Leaving the library, the thief was presented with the bag by a good citizen, who mentioned that it wasn’t safe to drop medieval manuscripts from third-floor windows. The thief agreed and thanked the citizen for his trouble. To paraphrase P.T. Barnum, there’s a good citizen born every minute.
4.3.9 Scanner avoidance
Limp in on crutches. Select the books you want and conceal them approximately. Then ask the circ desk clerk to let you exit through a side door because you can’t negotiate the turnstile, which just happens to employ a Tattle-Tape scanner. Such a nuisance! The clerk will wish you a speedy recovery as you limp out with your haul. Variations on this theme include the use of wheelchairs, walkers, and electric carts. You can even use a cane, as long as you can communicate to the clerk the idea that passing through that turnstile will cause you pain.
4.3.10 Washroom processing
A washroom cubicle gives you the privacy you need to remove Tattle-Tape or to cut out desirable illustrations, photos, and sections of text. Remember that Tattle-Tape is usually hidden down the spine of a book (a “tweezer job”) or pasted onto an inside cover. Tattle-Tape is easily removed from the latter location with a small knife. Once you’ve removed Tattle-Tape from an item, discard the Tattle-Tape in the used towel bin. Don’t leave it lying around the cubicle, since bits of tape will alert library staff to your activities. Heaven forbid. And it’s not smart to flush a large amount of Tattle-Tape down a toilet, since it may clog a pipe, cause a flood, and alert the library staff, etc.
As for cutting out illustrations with a razor, this is especially common in libraries with collections of older books or high-quality fine arts materials. Do you remember that series of framed prints that you saw at your local antique dealer’s? They’re very attractive, and on sale for $700. Did you know that the local university library holds a badly mutilated eighteenth-century volume that once contained those prints? You get the picture. And you can get all the pictures you want with an exacto knife.
4.3.11 The visiting dignitary
Thieves have been using false identities since Satan dressed up as a snake. The visiting dignitary technique has proven successful in numerous libraries as well as museums and art galleries. Usually the thief purports to be a professor from a prestigious university. She appears at the library director’s office bearing a phoney business card and forged letters of introduction. May she spend a couple of hours in the special collections vault? Of course she’s so distinguished and dignified that no one would dream of checking her briefcase for a false compartment.
Months later, the library discovers that several valuable manuscripts are missing. The bogus professor has sold them to a crooked book dealer in the United States or Europe for a substantial sum. Since then she has hit several other libraries, and no one has questioned her letters of introduction or the purpose of her research. Nor has anyone noticed that her briefcase is made from the finest snakeskin.
4.4 In the event of capture…
Sometimes the techniques that I’ve described don’t work, and you nab me. What next? In fact, convictions for theft from libraries are rare. Librarians are often disinclined to go through the process of laying charges, going to court, giving evidence, and undergoing cross-examination in a case involving stolen fiction worth under $1000. Faced with expanding case loads and enormous amounts of paperwork, the police are seldom eager to devote resources to the conviction of a biblioklept. Thus the risk of a heavy fine or a jail sentence is negligible.
Librarians are left to deal with the thieves they catch in the act. They will find the experience frustrating, since there is so little that they can do aside from issuing stern warnings and banning the thief from the library.
Catching a thief can be dangerous. To lay hands on someone who is technically innocent of any crime might be considered a violation of rights. Moreover, some thieves are desperate: they might resort to violence, for which few library staff members are prepared. It’s easy to understand why so many librarians connive at the activities of thieves.
4.5 Preventive measures
So what can you do to stop me? There are eight effective measures to discourage theft in any library. Note that you’ll never stop me altogether; you’ll simply make my activities more difficult, and eventually I’ll move on to easier targets. But consider the following preventive measures carefully. Any single measure creates a nuisance for thieves but, when these preventive measures are implemented together, I’m faced with challenges that I’m not prepared to accept.
1. Tattle-Tape
There is strong anecdotal evidence across North America that Tattle-Tape reduces library theft. There is probably no better deterrent, especially against amateurs and impulse kleptos.
2. Signage
Thieves are discouraged by signs bearing messages such as “advanced security system in operation” and “books are public property.” “Thieves will be prosecuted” and “Report all suspicious behavior to the circulation desk.” Even a professional thief will be a little nervous about that advanced security system. Is there some new security device in the market that he doesn’t know about? Has it been installed in this library? Perhaps it’s time to find a branch that isn’t so high tech…
3. Warnings to suspected thieves
Thieves hate the idea that they’re under suspicion. To tell a suspected thief that stealing books is illegal is no violation of one's rights. Other ways of getting across the message:
• “We keep an eye on people we suspect of stealing, you know.”
• “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t carry that bag into the stacks, ma’am.”
• “If you try to pass through the front turnstile without checking out the books under your coat, sir, an alarm will sound. A very loud alarm.”
• “I wouldn’t use that rear door as an exit, chum. I haven’t fed my Doberman today, and he’s waiting on the landing outside.”
If thieves can employ chutzpah, so can librarians. In fact, a touch of wry humor might be more effective that the sternest warning. You don’t need a real Doberman to enhance your security.
4. Patrols
An occasional stroll through your library will discourage thieves who depend on a general lack of surveillance, particularly in and around less frequented spaces such as basements, stairwells, and corners of stack areas. Patrolling washrooms is also prudent.
5. Hardening
Don’t leave doors and windows open that should be locked. Don’t allow the public to wander through staff areas. Bolt all computer equipment to supporting surfaces. Make sure that all staff members realize that good security protects them as well as the library’s collections. Encourage staff to report all suspicious behavior to library management or on-site security personnel without delay.
6. Security checks for visiting dignitaries
He claims to be a professor from Yale. Before you allow him into your special collections vault, check with Yale to see if he’s the real thing. One telephone call or e-mail inquiry might save you much grief. Let that professor know that you are obliged to check his identification. If he’s a fraud, chances are that he won’t stick around for long.
If he’s impersonating a real professor and he presents top-quality phoney letters of introduction, you can still catch him. One famous thief was caught when a librarian phoned what was assumed to be his residence in Cambridge, Mass. “You say that you’re Professor Smith from Harvard, and you want to examine early maps of Quebec,” said the librarian. “That's right,” said the fraud, with admirable self-possession. “I’ve already given you my card and letters, and I need to see those maps for the purposes of my historical research on the influence of the Catholic Church.” The librarian remained poker faced. “Is that so,” she said. “I just spoke to your wife in Cambridge. She tells me that you died 3 years ago. Isn’t it a little late to take an interest in religion?” The fraud left the library in unprofessorial haste.
7. Informing other branches and libraries in neighboring regions
If you suspect that a thief is active in your library, let your local colleagues know. If possible, describe for them the thief’s appearance and techniques. Some libraries circulate written descriptions of thieves. When a thief realizes that she is recognized throughout your system, she will move on.
8. Informing local book dealers
Share with local book dealers the same information that you give your library colleagues. If dealers refuse to buy suspicious items that might have been stolen from your library, a thief’s income will decrease. Dealers are usually happy to cooperate with libraries in frustrating thieves and are grateful when librarians protect them from receiving stolen goods.
4.6 On the move and on the make
So many books, so little time. I don’t mind telling you how to stop me because I know that in many libraries apathy rules. I’ve robbed lots of branches that don’t even turn on their Tattle-Tape scanners. Librarians write memos about me, and their managers don’t even bother to read them. Doors and windows remain wide open; I come and go as I please.
And business is good. Tomorrow I’ll hit two public library branches in Victoria and three in Vancouver. Then I’ll visit the universities of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, which have some lovely historical material on the shelves. (Not for much longer.) Of course the University of Toronto and TPL are always worth a visit.
Then on to Halifax: no day is complete without a little maritime larceny. You might call it a cross-country check-out, except I have no intention of checking out a single item.
Snakeskin is popular these days. Wouldn’t you agree?