Library Stolen Book Roundup

The public relations director of the York County Library, Rock Hill, NC, was arrested and accused of selling donated books on the Internet—but her boss says police are wrong. After a citizen complained that items at the Half.com site had been given to the library's Friends group for a book sale, police donated four marked books to the library and then bought them from a Half.com account maintained by Phyllis Davis.

Davis, arrested in the library by police officers from the station next door, was charged with selling $5000 worth of books without paying for them. Library Director David Lyon said he was shocked and that Davis—a valuable and trusted employee—told him she had bought the books. He acknowledged that the book sale was a loosely run program because no one tracks all the donations and books are sold at 75¢ an inch rather than individually priced: "I don't see how she can prove she did pay for them...and I don't see how the police can prove she didn't. It's a difficult problem." Davis was placed on paid administrative leave, and the library agreed to review its policy.

Who else is buying books at a Friends sale? Used-book dealers, apparently. The Friends of the Marathon County Public Library, Wausau, WI, wants to restrict businesses that buy books in bulk, saying it is unfair to the individuals who like to buy books for a song. However, book dealer Al Post told the Wausau Daily Herald, "They also have to realize that every time they have a sale, they're cutting into my livelihood. I don't think they should be too concerned on where the books are going. I'm providing a service."

Librarians say a Nashville man has stolen first editions from at least a dozen libraries in middle Tennessee, though police have not made an arrest or issued a warrant. Mark Doiron of Nashville was named in complaints filed by library officials in Lebanon, Murfreesboro, and Cookeville, according to the Nashville Tennessean. A book dealer told the newspaper that Doiron had library copies of books at his house.

Librarians said that the thief has checked out tens of thousands of dollars worth of books. He then removes the barcodes and other identifying marks and attaches them to cheaper versions of the same books—which he then returns to the library.