String of library thefts dates back to '70s

Some students go to the library to study, others to steal. University of Wisconsin-Madison student Benjamin Johnson was recently accused of stealing more than $2 million worth of books and historical documents from Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

FILE PHOTO Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library is supposed to be the most secure book repository on campus. More than $2 million worth of material was stolen from the library last summer.

Johnson allegedly used his position as an employee at the library this past summer to steal valuable materials such as a letter sent by George Washington to French General Rochambeau in 1780, valued at $350,000. Other missing items include rare volumes such as Merman Melville's Moby Dick ($125,000), J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye ($12,500), and Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol ($10,000).

Police report that after stealing the books, Johnson e-mailed Catherine Barnes, president of the Professional Autograph Dealers Association, offering to sell her a signature of George Washington. He claimed that the signature was a duplicate in a collection compiled by his deceased father, and that he would use the money from its sale to buy newer pieces to add to his collection.

Soon after Barnes received Washington's signature in mint condition, Johnson offered her more materials, including signatures of Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Hancock.

"I knew there were a lot of good libraries [in Wisconsin]," Barnes recalls, in explaining what tipped her off. "I became concerned that these were coming from them." Johnson is now out on $50,000 bail, facing 12 counts of first-degree larceny and 11 counts of criminal mischief.

Although this most recent theft from Beinecke is one of the most costly in the University's history, it is by no means the first time valuable material has been stolen from Yale's libraries.

In 1973, a pair of Byzantine priests were charged with stealing rare books from Yale and other universities across the country. The two men, donning priestly attire, managed to remove valuable atlases from Sterling Memorial Library (SML) by concealing them under their robes. When the FBI raided their headquarters at St. Stephen's Monastery in Queens, N.Y., authorities discovered hundreds of stolen volumes.

In 1979, Tulane University Professor Andrew Antippas pleaded guilty to stealing five valuable maps from SML.

Two years later, an antique microscope stolen from SML was found in a trash can. The microscope, valued at $10,000, was purchased in 1734 and is considered to be one of the first scientific instruments used in the American colonies.

As a result of the string of thefts in the late '70s, Yale began a comprehensive overhaul of its library security policies. The most valuable holdings were moved to Beinecke and six electronic security gates were installed at a cost of $30,000 each.

The first of Yale's libraries to receive an electronic security system was the medical library in the mid-'60s. This move was prompted after a considerable number of periodicals had been stolen.

Despite these significant improvements in security measures, in 1997 John Ray stole a valuable 19th-century art book by Francesco Zannotti. Ray, later charged with criminal attempt to commit third-degree larceny, plucked the book right from SML.

The bulk of Yale's maps and other valuables are now kept in locked areas within SML. Motion detectors and security cameras can be seen scattered throughout the library. In addition, books in Beinecke are never circulated. In order to read a book from Beinecke's holdings, patrons must wait for a library employee to retrieve the book and read it in a monitored room. All bags are then inspected after leaving the reading area.

However, it is not clear whether such precautions will prevent another major book heist. According to Tom Conroy, University spokesperson, security is still "an evolving process."

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