I've noticed an alarming number of people here casually mention (on several occasions) how they steal books from libraries. I don't get it. Is this something really so common in USA that people aren't even shy to brag about it? (I don't expect any of the people who posted before how they stole books to post here too, but it's worth a shot I suppose.)

I mean, here in Slovenia libraries have all books catalogued and accounted for, and I haven't heard of anyone stealing books before, ever. At worst we copy them whole, but stealing is totally out of the question. Are we the weird ones or what? :hmm:

Why must everything be turned into something speculative of USA commonality?

The US accounts for all books in the public libraries, as any other library would in the world.
It's not considered a "cool" thing among Americans to go pilfering library books.
I've only seen a couple of people mention in other threads about stealing books from the library which I consider to be isolated incidents. Not "trends" among the American people.

Why anyone would be proud of the fact that they're stealing books is beyond me.



[This message has been edited by Xenecor (edited May 15, 2002).]

I don't get it either. I volunteer at a library once a week (I need 40 hours community service to graduate high school) and it's a helluva hassle to clean up after thieving bastards. (Please pardon the language, I'm in a pissy mood today)

How hard can it be to clean up books that aren't there because they've been stolen? ;)

People who steal books are losers in my opinion

I have only stolen books from teachers, then returned them, after seeing if they noticed

Act casual and they never do...

Anyway, what is the point of stealing books from libraries?

See, I feel that this is partially in response to my post about how I had to steal Darkwell from my local library. I was once a "thieving bastard", and a "loser". I was a villianous 12 year old.

It wasn't as though I held a dagger to the librarian's throat and demanded it, along with a briefcase full of money, then went on the lam to Mexico or anything.

I took it out, the proper way, claimed to lose it, then paid the fine for having lost it. It was something like $15 for a paperback. I didn't care, because I needed it to finish the trilogy. Plus, I helped the library, because they could order three replacements with my fine money.

You guys are so angry.

I have stolen books from my school library when I was in school. Nothing I am proud but at my school they had no alarms on the books or any real control over what happens as they have in bigger libraries.
But I am also one of those people that dont consider it a crime if you dont get caught (misinterpret me right here, some crimes are always a crime but some friendly theft is no biggy)

That's sort of the point. Apart from the Library of Congress, it's not as though there's tip-top security at your local public library. (Although there was an uproariously funny article in the Onion about how Cedar Rapids PL was beefing up security after September 11...)

It's a public library. Stealing a book therefrom is a betrayal of the public trust. It's not a crime to steal books from the library.

It's a sin.

I did it once...a copy of Hesse's "Knulp" from the PL in Juneau, Alaska. I walked out of there thinking, 'S**t, that was easy.' It sat on a shelf after I read it for a couple of years, pumping away like Poe's tell-tale heart. I ended up mailing it back with a long letter of apology and a cheque for 50 dollars. (They sent back a thank you note..)

I have never heard of someone stealing a book from a library, thats pathetic IMO.

I rarely check out books from the library, prefering to buy them myself, also I have several dollars in library fines.

Xenecor, speculative of USA only because in the last year and a half I've seen more than a dozen Americans brag about it on various places on the boards, a great deal more than from any other part of the world. That is also why the question was formulated to find out if this is a peculiarity of USA. You answered it isn't. That's fine, I never said it is.

You should realize that I'm not one to come up with accusations that are not based on fact. (If you can call this topic accusation.) :shame:

only ever stole a book once... http://www.sorcerers.net/ubb/Forum16/HTML/000106.html i live in the UK :rolleyes: :grin:

never before, and probably never again. i was 16 and believed that the school library owed me some kind of souvenir for repeatedly shouting at me to be quiet! besides, the book had seen better days and contains unreproducible scribbled annotations (in pencil) on most of the pages.

theft for sentimental reasons!

Never stolen from a library book before. It just seems...well, kinda sad really. And pathetic.

Although...when I was in elementary school (way back when), I was absolutely flabergasted one day near the end of the school year. They were announcing various little awards (best attendance record, etc), and my name was announced as the student with the fewest overdue books (I think you also had to have taken out so many books to qualify). Funny thing was that I still had a book in my bedroom at home from near the beginning of the school year (I think it was the Hobbit or something) :p

BTW - I did return it, but still received the award.

Yeah, Damona, but I was trying to read Darkwell too, and with your $15 they bought three copies of the Nancy Drew mysteries.

Approximately a dozen claims of book theft in a year and a half is hardly representative of the cumulative millions of people in the US.

Not to mention that there have been people from other countries "coming out" in regards to their thievery. Most of the time it just seems that it is an act being done by dumb teenagers and kids (a large portion of whom frequent these boards).

The fact that "some" people have stolen library books as a kid does not make it a common "fact" of the American Public.

Taluntain, I've been here a long time and I wouldn't have believed you to have made that kind of association before.

Heh, noticed something like this too. Just the other week I was talking to a friend who was muttering about a school locking it's doors. This person was going to steal a bookshelf because 'I don't have money for one and nobody in the school uses it anyway' and was mad because of the new locks. And it wasn't even a private discussion, just something said casually. I think it goes without saying the person was american :rolleyes:

Some friends of mine managed to steal a table from a pub once... :)

Xenecor, did you read a word of my second post? Because that reply of yours certainly doesn't imply it. I wasn't accusing anybody, I was merely making an observation. I don't see why you have to make such a fuss out of something as inconseqential as this.

Seriously, you need to re-read my posts, because I never said that book theft is something common of the American Public, as you put it. If you still don't get it, the "fact" I was referring to is that more Americans than any other nationality have talked about stealing books on these boards.

Still, that doesn't necessarily mean anything, which is precisely why I started this topic. If you read the initial post carefully, you'll notice it's a question, not a statement or accusation.

I don't *steal* library books, I just don't return them. I had this one book I borrowed for summer reading 4 years ago and when my stack of overdue warnings were larger then the book itself- I actually looked for it and found it in the bookcase (oh my!)And I wonder why the librarians hate me.

I didn't say that I thought it was an accusation or a statement. My post was merely to point out how things repeatedly turn into an "American" problem.

The fact that I answered your question in my first post shows that I saw it as a question.... not that I thought it to be an accusation.

Seriously, you need to re-read my posts, because I never said that book theft is something common of the American Public, as you put it.

I used the word "speculative" for a reason.

My second post was not entirely addressed to you, so ofcourse some of it wouldn't have anything to do with your post. I've reread your posts several times before posting either of my posts.

Taluntain, I've been here a long time and I wouldn't have believed you to have made that kind of association before.

That was meant for you because I never would have thought you would make that sort of association due to some posts you've read.





[This message has been edited by Xenecor (edited May 16, 2002).]

Taluntain, I've been here a long time and I wouldn't have believed you to have made that kind of association before.

Err, sorry? It's not something I made up.

As I said, these are my observations based on concrete experience. You can disagree with me, of course. (And you did.)

So I don't see what the problem is.

I have never stolen a book from a library.
What I hate is going to the library looking for fantasy books and finding that over half of them have been lost/stolen, it makes want to find the person that stole the book punch his/hers face and grab the book.

I have accidentally stolen lots of library books. I used to always get notices that I had overdue books, and I could never find them. Half the time I couldn't even remember checking them out. So I would pay the fines to get my library privileges back, and the next thing I know- "Oh, THIS new Ruth Rendell novel!"- it falls on me from the tower of books beside my bed or I find it in an old handbag. Eureka.

But it never occurred to me to return it to the library at that point, once I'd already paid the fine. That's a really interesting question. At that point, is it a rightfully purchased book or is it still stolen property? Should one take it back after one has already paid an exorbitant replacement cost?

Anyway, now I just buy my books outright and forget the library. It's cheaper in the long run. :p

[Edit: My husband, who referred to library-book-thefts as "sad" and "pathetic" higher in this thread, has just informed me in frosty tones that I still owe the library $5. :eek: Way to prompt a divorce, Tal! ;)]

[This message has been edited by Sprite (edited May 17, 2002).]

I realize that you didn't make it up. I meant that you associated the fact that some people here have stolen books to a common American practice.

It's not that there is a problem so much as I ,too, had a question. I wanted to know why certain incidents always turn into American issues as a whole. Oh well. I suppose it's really an impossible question to answer, and a highly debatable one anyway.

[This message has been edited by Xenecor (edited May 18, 2002).]

Okay, I feel I need to clarify something - having just read Sprite's 'edit' above ;)

Couple months back, my wife (see above) asked me to drop off some library books one day when I went out to pick-up a video. *She* was busy at the time, and so couldn't take care of it. So, I hobbled on over to the library, and dropped them at the desk. *Then* I was told there was a $10 fine for the *overdue* books :eek: My wallet was empty. Under the unrelenting gaze of the library police, I searched my pockets for change, and paid what I could. After reading this thread yesterday, I remembered that my wife still owes the library a $1.50

(Hmppph! Frosty tones indeed :rolleyes: )

Is there a single thread in Whatnots that doesn't mention America at some point?

But back to the subject: I have never, ever stolen a book from a library. Libraries are for common good, and I respect them because of that. I am, have been and will be an active library user, Hell, I was picked as a Linbrary Activist when I was 12...

But back on the subject: Many of us have said that they were young and foolish when they stole books from the library, and I have to agree that young and foolish havve a tendency to be choosy on the laws they decide to abide. I personally am ashamed to admit that I have once shoplifted a book. It is the thing I most regret stealing. I feel awful about it every time I walk into the bookstore/see the book.

Ara
(Doing research in the name of Snapefic... )

Xenecor, as I said, you turned it into something way, way more than it was ever intended to be. If anyone made it into an issue, it was you. (Which is quite unfortunate.)

Take it easy. If everyone in this thread can reply to it with any bitterness I don't see why you couldn't.

I've never stolen library stuff ever.

I thought I lost a book back in High School once, but at the end of the year when we cleaned out our lockers, it was hiding behind a stack of hall passes...

/me thinks it's time for Xen and Tal to use the new PM thing :p

[Who asked you anything? I obviously can't drop this in the middle of the topic. So refrain from giving me any "wise" advice in the future. Oh, btw, you can PM me if you have anything else to say. :heh:] -Tal

[This message has been edited by Taluntain (edited May 17, 2002).]

When I was in undergrad I worked at a bookstore in the Bloomingdale's building on Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL. After I graduated, I took a job at Bloomingdale's working security. I didn't leave the bookstore on good terms a year prior; I quit after an argument with the "manager" who reprimanded me for not being an aggressive saleman in front of customers. Very bad form.

Anyway, the building is huge. It has all kinds of tunnels and back elevators, etc. I used them to catch thieves who also used them to steal. Interesting times.

A friend one year younger than I and still in undergrad got a job at this bookstore. We hatched a scheme...

My responsibilities included internal theft security, so I watched the employees, but no one really watched me. As anyone who has worked in a bookstore knows remainder hardbacks (and some soft covers) are sold back and some softs are thrown out with the covers torn off. The bookstore threw the books out by a truck carousel dumpster area where all the stores shipped/recieved and dumped. I had the keys to everything.

So, the plan was, when they threw out the soft remainders, my friend would load the cart with every hardback Oxford English Dictionary in the house, along with some first edition contemporaries at the time (like DeLillo, etc.), and whatever else we knew was in the shop we wanted that wouldn't be missed given the demographic and our minority tastes. I would then drive down into the carousel after my shift (in my very dashing 1974 MGB-GT I drove at the time) and pick them up and re-sell them or hoard them or do whatever book fanatics do.

We never did it. I always wish I had. I also dreamed of stealing a first edition Ulysses, Atlas Ed. with slipcover from the Chicago Art Museum, but no way do I have the stones for that.

Why do people steal books? An interesting question. The most successful thief in the world, if one counts the aggregate money value of property stolen to determine crimnal success, was a book thief. He was arrested in his Iowa home about ten years ago. He had stolen from nearly every major collection in the U.S., public and private, and had three of the fourteen(?) remaining Guttenburg bibles along with other priceless antiquities. He would have escaped detection were it not for a vigilant home inspector who drove by en route elsewhere and noticed his house was bending and the floors sagging. A search of the house was performed and that was it. Anyway, sorry to blab.

Well, I only steal books from schools because I'm too lazy to return them. I still have my grade 5 history book somewhwere in the house. My brother stole a french/english dictionary from his french teacher. But I don't steal *regularly* from libraries. That's out of the question.

LOL! I have 2 books of Tolkien and 3 of C.S Lewis... Borrowed them at the schoollibrary... and forgot to reurn them... it's kinda far away to my school... My mom told be that I had to bring them back so I told I did so..... I gave them to a friend of mine.

So stealing regularly is out of the question, but stealing occasionally because you're too lazy to return them is fine? Interesting point of view.

Volar, noone said it was fine. Sloth is just a reason. Exceptable or not exceptable, it is a reason.

EDIT: BTW, Serena.. you're right.. but it looks a lot more hostile than it actually is :p. No sense going back and forth when both points have been made. Besides... with all of those razz's... I figured you were joking :)



[This message has been edited by Xenecor (edited May 20, 2002).]

heh, I was joking, I'm never serious ;) But I don't think I want to be in any kind of an arguement.

Besides, I think everyone must have stolen something at one time, even if they didn't *mean* too :p Books, bubblegum, etc.

Hm, i thought, that Taluntain just wanted to mention, that people from other countries don't walk around and tell everyone they have stolen a book. I wouldn't tell you. ;)
I think it's normal that children sometimes lose a book. But thats not the same than stealing it.
And America is not mentioned in every topic. Why should it? It's not that important.
I never met any american people in real life who told me that they stole a book. Maybe it's a cyber topic? :confused: