Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

Belongings left unattended in U. Florida libraries often stolen
By Andrea Williamson
Independent Florida Alligator (U. Florida)
01/17/2007

(U-WIRE) GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Libraries are a place for reading, writing...and stealing?

More than $9,000 worth of students' personal property was stolen from the George A. Smathers Libraries last year, according to a report from the University Police Department.

Stolen property included laptops, wallets, textbooks, purses and backpacks.

"The stuff gets taken in a very short time," said Lt. Robert Wagner.

Some libraries experienced theft more than others. According to the report, 10 of the 14 theft cases reported in 2006 occurred in the Marston Science Library.

The other cases were from Smathers Library, Broward Hall Library, Library West and the Legal Information Center.

The thefts usually occur in clusters around the times of midterms and finals, according to the report.

Carol A. Drum, the chairwoman for Marston Science Library, said she noticed the trend occurring.

"It's sad but true," she said. "Finals is probably the worst time."

She added that it is never a good idea to leave belongings unattended.

"You need to always have your stuff with you," Drum said.

Carol Turner, the director of public services for the Smathers Libraries, offered the most common explanation for the thefts.

"A lot of times, people are very trusting," she said.

In an effort to reduce the occurrence of theft, university police perform undercover sweeps of the libraries, Wagner said. Police officers will dress in plain clothes and look for people trying to steal in the libraries.

"We watch the people watching other people," Wagner said.

He added that the frequency of these sweeps depends upon staff numbers and that the sweeps are done at random.

If something is stolen, the first thing to do is to go to the circulation desk, Drum said.

The circulation staff will call UPD, and an officer will arrive to interview the theft victim for a description of the personal property that was stolen and of the thief, if possible.

However, describing the belongings may not be enough.

"If a guy walks out with a Dell, I have no way of telling if it's yours or not," Wagner said.

Wagner recommends writing down serial numbers of personal possessions, such as laptops, and storing the numbers in a safe place. Having the serial number is the only real chance of recovering property.

Even then, he said, there is not a high possibility of getting the items back.

However, there is one foolproof way to prevent property from being stolen while at the library:

"Watch your things," Turner said.

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