Martell, C. (2010). Theft and Its Effects on Our Neighborhood Libraries. Public Library Quarterly, 29(1), 30-38. doi:10.1080/01616840903562943.

This was a fascinating article about the books that are most often stolen  in public libraries, which caught my attention after my experiences here with rap music (we keep it in a back room because so much of it has been stolen) and urban fiction. According to Martell, the most commonly stolen books have varied in studies, but include test prep books, the Bible, and books about witchcraft, dreams, and astrology.

The survey focused on the theft of the ASVAB test prep book in the Sacramento area. They found that of the $10,000 or so spent on these prep materials, only about $1,500 of materials remained in the system. Out of curiosity, the librarian also examined the availability of books by the author Zane (another one we can't keep on the shelf), and $6,000 out of $8,000  worth of her materials had also walked off the shelves.

 Martell discusses the frustration about knowing what to do in this case. It seems silly to keep buying materials that can't be kept on the shelf, but at the same time, these items do circulate and people want to have access to them. It's frustrating to our patrons and to us when we can't offer materials like test preparation books to our patrons. She suggests that the best methods for combating this involve informing people quickly about overdue books in high-risk categories and providing other incentives to get the books back. However, this assumes the book has been checked out and then not returned, which certainly isn't always the case with many of our thefts. The most interesting recommendation was to purchase electronic versions of high risk items in order to avoid theft, which seems like it could be the best course of action for some items.