by Crystal Apilado
Staff Writer
Books at the Wilson Library are turning up with missing pages, missing pictures or are not turning up at all.
According to Marlin Heckman, University librarian, these mutilated books have been found over the past couple of years, and are now turning up again.
“We find them accidentally,” said Dr. Heckman.
Mutilated books are not sought after by the library staff. Instead they are found by chance when the books are being flipped through, when a student discovers that pages are missing or when gaps are noticed in the middle of the text.
Most of the books are reference books. Encyclopedias, collections, magazines, and newspapers are among the list of targeted books.
Usually the pages or pieces taken are where there was a small article or chapter that was needed for research.
However, yearbooks have also turned out to be a target to such vandalism. The copy of the 1999 Lambda is missing multiple pictures. There are holes now where pictures of students once were.
“I don’t know what it is that says that it is OK to do that in society,” said Dr. Heckman.
A two-volume set of books about immigrant cultures in America is missing chapters about certain cultures. Out of a 140-book set on different countries, the volume on Singapore is missing and pages are missing from the volume on Paraguay.
“This is stealing to take pages out of a book that belongs to all of us,” said Dr. Heckman.
Mutilated books are not the only thing that the library deals with in terms of its problems. Whole books are turning up missing.
Books that are not allowed to be checked out as well as the ones that are, have not been checked out through the computer system and are not being returned.
“Even with a security system, we have people go out alarm doors fairly regularly,” said Dr. Heckman.
The security tags in the books that set off the alarm are being ripped out of the books taken. One year a bag of trash set outside one of the residence halls was found to contain volumes of books. Books that other students could have possibly used were thrown in the trash, with intentions of not being used again.
“People wonder why they can’t study out on the porch,” said Dr. Heckman.
The library was allotted a $70,000 budget this year to buy books. This week’s delivery contained 93 new books and cost about $5,435. With the high expense of providing students with new books, the need to replace the mutilated ones affects the budget.
“What do people do with it when they are done? They don’t turn it in on the paper and they don’t bring it back to us,” said Dr. Heckman.
Some of the vandalized books are being completely replaced. Others are being repaired with copies of the missing pages. The library requests copies of the missing pages from neighboring libraries. The copies are then inserted into the books.
“We have copiers. We try to make it convenient for people to make copies,” said Dr. Heckman.
It costs 10 cents to make a copy with change and only 8 cents per copy if a student uses a copying card. Cards can be purchased for 50 cents in the copy rooms at the library. The first amount set on the card is 50 cents. Afterward a student may add any amount onto the card to make copies.
“It is my concern that people be aware of people around them,” said Dr. Heckman.
It is being requested that people seen involved in suspicious actions be reported in order to prevent the mutilation of other books.
