I read an old review of a book that appeared to be very interesting so I went searching for it and found a copy in the local London Public Library system which, I should mention, is a good one. During the search I learned that the book was out-of-print, but apparently still much in demand since the price for used copies was in the three figure range. I then found the book in the stacks which is not the same as finding it listed on the online library catalogue. I was somewhat surprised since I noticed a while back that the public library system here does not have either a machine or a person to check to see if you have any library material as you exit. That is, I did not have to sign out the book; I simply could have walked out with it. The book I wanted was there, so there is no mystery involved with it, but still I wondered - What books are not there and are many being stolen?
Last year the central branch of the public library system in London was undergoing major renovations and I noticed that one could wander from the stacks into the adjacent shopping mall without going through any security. When I asked a staff member about it I was told that I could walk directly out without signing out a book and that that was the case in the branch libraries as well. She trusted the patrons and I felt a little guilty about implying that some of them might not be so trustworthy. Needless to say, her conception of human nature was more positive than mine. That is the reason I did not reveal the title of the book above, since I figured that once you saw how valuable it was and how easy it would be to steal it, you would do so.
Surely it must be somewhat tempting to forego signing out one of those high-demand books which you happened to see resting very temporarily on the shelf. Or, to perhaps keep a little longer one of those short-loan XXX For Dummies books that you may need for more than seven days. Apart from those hypothetical scenarios I could present some real ones from academic libraries where the security alarms often sounded as forgetful students simply forgot to sign out the books that were hidden in their coats.
As for the mystery about what is missing I will say that I am sure that the library system here is well-managed. I am also sure the volumes that have gone missing which have been checked out have been tracked, due diligence done and fines levied. I am also certain the costs of machines or people to prevent theft have been considered. I am not so sure that one can know what is missing until one goes looking for it since it is highly likely that there are not enough staff to do a thorough inventory.
I have gone on long enough about this and will say only that I do hope that material is not being stolen from our public libraries and that the librarian is a better judge of character than I. As some of the sources below indicate, there may be cause for concern.
Sources:
It should be remembered that this post is written out of concern and not as a critique. I did not, for example, ask anyone in the LPL system about the security procedures. As well, this is a rather perfunctory search. I went looking for information about public library thefts and, unsurprisingly, found some. I am sure a more thorough search of the library literature would have uncovered many articles about the steps and methods uses to protect the inventory.
The items are presented in reverse chronological order. A couple relate to Canada.
I wrote about The Great British Book Burglary last year.
This year there was a big one in Pittsburgh, but perhaps our citizens are more solid:"The Pittsburgh Case an Inside Job: ‘Greed Came Over Me’: $8 Million in Rarities Stolen From Pittsburgh Library,” Sarah Mervosh, New York Times, July 21, 2018.
“The archivist who oversaw a special collection of rare books at the central library in Pittsburgh walked out of the building with these and other items — sometimes in plain sight — and sold them to a local bookstore owner, the authorities said, in a scheme that lasted nearly 20 years.
“Unsolved Mystery: The Case of 100,000 Missing Library Books,” The Daily Gleaner/Telegraph-Journal, Fredericton NB, Mar 21, 2017
[I was unable to access this complete article.]
“Nearly 100,000 books were marked missing from New Brunswick's public libraries from 2007 to 2016, according to data obtained through a …”
“Thousands of Items Taken from Edmonton Public Library in Past 3 years,” Julie Wong, Global News,
“More than 3,000 items have gone missing from the Edmonton Public Library (EPL) system from 2014 to 2017, according to data obtained by Global News.”
This library even has security: “The library takes some measures to prevent items from being taken, including security tags on items, security gates at entrances and a tracking system that alerts EPL when an item is not returned. The user is contacted and reminded about the missing item; if it is not returned, the user is then charged for the replacement.”
[The next few are about the same British 'issue'. There is a slight sub-text which relates to the loss of library staff and funding, not just the loss of books.]
“25 Million Books are Missing From UK libraries – But Who's Counting? Librarians Call for a National Audit after Inventory Count of Suffolk libraries Reveals 10,000 Books are Missing, Despite Computer Records Saying Otherwise,” Danuta Kean, The Guardian,, Feb 23, 2017,
“The decline in books stocked by public libraries may be far worse than official figures indicate, with industry sources claiming that it may be many millions higher than the 25 million books recorded as missing, meaning that the number of books available to borrowers has plummeted by more than 50% since 1996.
Official figures from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (Cipfa) for library books stood at 52.3 million at the end of 2016, a drop of almost 25 million since 1996. But that number reflects computer records rather than physical stock checks made by librarians. Earlier this week, it emerged that libraries in Suffolk had 10,000 fewer books than listed on its database after an inventory count by librarians. Insiders said similar disparities were likely to be reflected across the 151 library authorities in England and Wales because cutbacks had reduced librarians’ ability to do shelf counts.”
“Thousands of Books Misplaced, Lost or Stolen from Suffolk’s Libraries Between 2014 and 2017,”Emily Townsend, East Anglian Daily Times, Feb, 20, 2017
“Nearly 10,000 books, CDs and DVDs have gone missing from Suffolk libraries in three years, new figures show.”
“Libraries Are Missing 25m Overdue Books,” Caroline Argyropulo-Palmer, The Times,
24 February 2017
"Public libraries are missing 25 million books, official figures show but the true number could be much higher.
At the end of last year libraries held 52.3 million books, a fall of 25 million from 1996. That reflects the number of books logged in library computer records, however, and there are concerns that stock checks would find that many more books are off the shelves.
It emerged this week that an inventory held in Suffolk had found that there were 10,000 fewer books, CDs and DVDs in the county's libraries than listed on its database.
Tim Coates, a library campaigner and former head of Waterstones, told The Guardian that similar disparities were likely to be found in libraries across the country.
"It's not just Suffolk that has this problem," he said. "This is a national issue because librarians are not doing enough stock checks because cuts mean they can't do their job properly."
Since 2010 about 8,000 librarians have been made redundant in England and Wales while funding for public libraries fell by £25 million from 2014-2015 to 2015-2016. The stock has vanished.”
“20,000 Books Missing From Libraries,” Bilal Kuchay, Kashmir Monitor, Jan.28, 2013.
By Bilal Kuchay
“284,000 Library Books Stolen / Pilfered Texts Worth More Than 400 mil. Yen, Local Govts Say in Survey, Daily Yomiuri, Nov. 11, 2008.
“Stealing Beats Borrowing: Selfishness is Trumping Sharing as Pounds 150m Worth of Books are Filched from Local Libraries Every Year,” Rose George, The Guardian, April 4, 2006.
Libraries Take Aim at Theft, Vandalism,”by Gail Swainson, Toronto Star, Aug. 28, 1996.
“Public libraries in Metro have launched a campaign in the hopes of reducing the more than $1 million a year lost to vandalism and theft.
``Unfortunately, there appears to be a real disrespect out there for public property,'' said Mario Bernardi, manager of communications and development for the Metro Toronto Reference Library.
Reference library losses include valuable reference books, recipe books, atlases, art books and encyclopedias, which routinely have pages torn out or are covered in scribbled graffiti, Bernardi said.
At Metro's lending libraries, videocassettes, CDs and books are signed out but never returned.
It all adds up to an estimated $1 million-a-year loss to the system, so six Metropolitan public library systems - East York, North York, Scarborough, Toronto, York, and the reference library - have decided to fight back by asking users to respect library property - or report those who don't.
``We really can't afford these kinds of losses,'' Bernardi said. ``When we're cutting left and right, the last thing we need is to have this happen.''
“Libraries Suffer From Thefts,” The Windsor Star, July 1994 (article by Rachel Gordon San Francisco Examiner)
SAN FRANCISCO - "Paul John Smith isn't a household name - but he's the San Francisco Public Library's most wanted man.
Smith has more overdue library items - 238 - than any other San Franciscan, and owes $6,331 in overdue book fines and replacement costs, more than anyone else.
While Smith leads the pack of library scofflaws, he is far from alone. Thirteen people owe the library more than $1,000, accounting for 1,175 lost or stolen items - books, videos, records, tapes, periodicals and sheet music worth nearly $30,000, according to a records search conducted for The San Francisco Examiner.
In addition, 225 patrons each owe $300 or more for 4,503 lost and stolen library items worth $123,886 - money and materials the city is not counting on collecting.”
Theft and Loss From UK Libraries: A National Survey, John Burrows, Diane Cooper. 1992 Study
From the Foreward:
“While the problems of theft and of the mutilation of books and other materials in our libraries seldom attract national headlines, they represent a growing concern to those responsible for the provision of library services. This report details the findings of the first comprehensive survey of the financial loss borne by the main sectors of the library service, and the actions they are taking to combat these problems (previous, smaller, surveys have been more broadly focused on crimes committed in libraries). It concludes that libraries are indeed suffering substantially and estimates that losses of books alone exceed £150 million each year. Book mutilation, too, is widespread.These losses to the public purse are occurring despite a sizeable, and burgeoning, investment by libraries in measures to prevent theft and retrieve material not returned from loan. The report documents librarians’ views of these various countermeasures. But, above all, it makes the point that count and inventory practices in libraries are often sadly deficient, and that this severely hinders many institutions from directing their efforts at targetting the type of material, particular borrowers, or circumstances that give rise to the greatest loss.”
No comments:
Post a Comment