Book Theft

[amalthya]

I've always found it funny when I do Bin Pickup at the library (collecting books that are put in the return bins outside the main entrance) that we'll be checking in some of the books -- that don't seem to have ever been checked out. They are not charged to anyone, and have no return dates, so basically, someone just took them from the library.

How is this possible? Aren't all books supposed to be sensitized when they come back in? If someone went to the trouble of stealing them, why bother to return them?

Another girl who came in last week was not so lucky:

As she'd left Butler, her bag set off the sensor, and, inside, there was a book from the Science library. She was told to come upstairs and see someone about desensitizing it, so she came up to me, pushed the book across the counter and told me to do just that.

Instead, I asked her for her ID, to see if the book was, in fact, charged to her. It was, but it was also a) a book that wasn't supposed to be in circulation. AND it was marked as "Lost". AND it had a recall on it.

I told the girl to wait (I still had her ID *and* the book) and I went back to consult my boss, who contacted the science library manager who affirmed that yes, he wanted his book back right away)

So, when I went back to the desk, I told the girl that we'd have to keep the book and that no, she couldn't have it back.

...She was less than pleased. Sensitization technology conquers again!

Comments

[lampbane.livejournal.com]

If someone went to the trouble of stealing them, why bother to return them?

Well, the answer is that they didn't want to check the book out (as in, have a record of them checking it out officially), but neither did they want to steal the book.

So the question is, why didn't they want to check the book out?

[redcoat668.livejournal.com]

At my workplace, the secret is often that the patron has an outstanding fine that they don't want to pay, so they smuggle the book out because it's the only way to do get it without being asked to pony up.

Then they're done with it, so it comes back...and so do they at the end of the semester because we won't release their grades until they bring forth the chedda.

[leighbug]

That's a good idea! Makes sense...I've done it at the public library..."Mom, can you check some books out for me? They're on hold, and I'm just too busy to go get them... andIhaveahugefineonmycardandcan'tcheckthingsout" (Man, it's hard to type without spaces!)