Carelessness is the main reason for theft at Parks Library, library officials said, but thousands of dollars’ worth of materials still disappear every year.

Kris Zierath, library assistant at Parks Library, said the theft of personal materials – mainly textbooks – increases toward the end of each semester, and especially during Dead Week and Finals Week.

She said people may try to steal textbooks in order to make some quick cash by selling other students’ books back to local stores.

“Normally, it’s not the materials within the library that are regularly stolen,” Zierath said. “It’s people’s textbooks.”

But David Gregory, associate professor at Parks Library, said library theft always is a concern, although it is not any greater than it was 10 or 20 years ago.

“I think, by and large, we have a very responsible clientele – students, faculty and staff,” he said.

The security sensors located at the front entrance were placed in Parks Library in 1983. The sensors have been replaced or upgraded every seven to eight years.

“We think that one of the chief goals of the sensors is to keep honest people honest,” Gregory said.

Students are sometimes distracted and in a hurry, he said. Often, they will gather up their own books and materials and not realize they have put library books into their backpacks without checking them out. The sensors protect against accidental and intentional thefts, giving the library staff a psychological advantage by reminding its clientele that the building’s exits are closely monitored.

“We all bear the cost of library theft, whether it’s casual or malicious,” Gregory said.

It often is very difficult to be certain whether someone was intentionally trying to steal materials or if the person was just being careless. The staff usually gives students the benefit of the doubt, Gregory said. If a student is caught intentionally trying to steal from Parks Library, the Department of Public Safety and the dean of students office are notified, and the incident is handled as a case of misconduct.

“Books represent a communal benefit,” Gregory said. “Stolen books represent a communal loss.”

The average book at Parks Library costs $130 to replace, he said.

The loss of the book also takes away from teaching and learning at Iowa State.

“If we have to buy a copy of something that was stolen, that is one less new title we can buy,” Gregory said.

With 2.2 million volumes currently shelved in Parks Library, theft is difficult to detect. Gregory said most theft is discovered through searches on library materials, often when someone requests a book that is not checked out and cannot be located on its proper shelf.

Searches are performed on a regular basis, and the entire collection is accounted for once or twice a year. When a book is missing for more than a year, it is withdrawn from the collection and measures are taken to replace it, he said.

Gregory said another type of theft occurs when seniors or transfer students leave Iowa State before returning books or paying fines. He said students cannot graduate or get their transcripts released until all materials are returned and all fines are paid.

Gregory said Parks Library continues to upgrade technology and equipment to protect its collection against theft.

“We have an obligation to the citizens of Iowa to take good care of their investment,” he said.