Book Thieves Are Decimating Brooklyn Libraries

Posted on February 1, 2014

The New York Daily News reports that the sixty branches of the Brooklyn Library are really suffering from a rash of book thefts. The latest figures from 2012 show that book thieves checked 70,144 books and never returned them. In 2011, 61,543 books were checked out and never returned. The most popular titles being stolen are guides that prepare students to take the GED, as well as prep books for the nursing exams. Prep books of all kinds for exams are big targets for thieves.

Graphic novels are also high on the theft list. Librarians say that the cutbacks for the library budget have spurred the increase of thefts. The libraries simply don't have enough staff to keep an eye on patrons with sticky fingers.

The library does bill adults 25 cents a day for late books. CD's incur a dollar a day late fee and DVDs incur a $2 a day late fee. If a library card holder hits $15 in fines, he's cut off. But none of this is stopping the rampant theft. Emma Woods, the library's spokeswoman said, "We have systems in place to incentivize people to be responsible and return their materials, but people taking advantage of the system is an unfortunate reality."

The libraries keep buying new books, but they can't keep up with the theft. The number of books in the system shrinks each year. In 2009 the library had 4.1 million books and other loanable items, but by 2012 the library only has 3.3 million.