The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-07-30
LOST TO LIBRARIES.
Not All the Books That Disappear
Are Stolen.

New York Press.
There are forty-nine pubic libraries III NC"
York, all of which do larger or smaller clrcu-
lating business. 1t Is safe to say that Inc ds-
gregate number OF volumes on the sheiVes III
these forty nine libraries will amount 10 d.
least 100000. 1t is no wonder tEen tna'
with this large number OF books. and the many
who draw them and either take them TO thrir
homes or use them In the Libraries, ereal
many should be lost.
ut would be a matter OF surprise TO a lay
man." said the librarian OF one OF the large II,
braries recently, III he could know Oy actual
count the number Of books which are ios.'
strayed or stolen in all the libraries OF Inc c!iy.
Do not understand me to mean tnat all oI Lue
books which disappear from The library snescs
and never find their way back again are inten.
tonaly stolen; great many people take ouG NO
to their homes, and although theif Intention
is good and they mean to return them tnry
forget to do so. or course we keep an ac-
the library, and if member is derelict we
write 10 him and ask for The return Oh
the book. In many INSTANCES we get them
back. In many cases. however, . tDs escb na we
impose for keeping book AFTER IL Is overdue
have grown to such an amount mat tue Ooi
rover cannot afford to return II. ms, IN Some
instances. Is made good by the borrower ro
placing The book IN which case we say notnlnE
about the fine, being glad to get the book BACK
again, even though we do have 10 put on no"
Il
however, and these are very many. Inc po'
rover has moved and left no address, ana mas
probably gone out OF town to take up MS Iesi
dence in another city. Then the BOOK - iost W
lis forever You can readily see now II would
not pay US to spend any very large amount Oh
time or money In looking up a DOCK which -
worth perhaps dollar or two"
among what class OF DOCKS are the uisaP-
pearances largest ?' ,.,
"Ol fiction, OF course, because the largest
number Of disap earances are 10 cOhscquenc'1,
hnxyl yU4
you a singular thing. 1t may astonisn you. !
say IL with all due respect to the integrity VI
clergymeD, but whenever we let Clergyman
take book from the library we keep more
particular watch upon That book that unOn any
other. 1t seems hard 10 say II, but tnere are
more valuable books lost by reason OF lending
them to clergymen than TO any other CLASS OF
pe0pe This does not argue that they are ex-
ceedinglv abseni-ininded IL Is certain tnat titIe
Is no class of people who are so WORCESTERSHIRE
in their methods as ministers. Iheir inten ,nsr
is good enough. but the books get on tnelr
shelves and they are chiefly BOOKS OF leIer-
ence. and after they have worked up me par
ticular sermon for which they wanted the
book they forget all about IT, III they are feeu-
lar members of a library II Is easy enough 10
recover the book. because we can JOG their
memories when they come II for other oooEs.
but many clergymen come to Libraries VINO are
not members, and their cloth is sufficient 10 Sc
cure for them the conr,esies Of almost any
library IN the city. Nobody cares 10 refuse
minister book. Very frequently Their cafds
bear no addresses, and sometimes even clergy
men move.
Then there are the women-forgetiul and
without an idea OF business methods. we
write, and write, and write, and get no re-
Spouse, and often have TO send one OF our EN-
ployes to call IN person and secure the book"
Valuable boOks?'
"Well. IL is sometimes very easy matter for
persons who are mean enough to steal books 10
Steal these. A mau comes In with package
or saichel. In very few libraries Is there
man stationed on watch on the exit. whose
business it IS TO see that nobody comes in or
goes out with a package. IL is the easiest
thing in the world, where a man gets book TO
use in the library, for him TO wrap 1t up in the
package which lie has been carrying, and
which, PERTAINS. contains two or three other
books, or TO drop il into his satchel and carry
il out. and this ~ the way that NEST or them are
stolen. Ever law libraries, which are the best
guarded libraries in the ci y, suffer consider
ably from this method of stealing"