Who Dunnit?

Librarians in Brubaker Theft Case Are Named

birdie — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 07:47:55 -0500

This article from the Calgary Sun names two librarians, one in Canada and one in the US, who help to nab rare book thief James Lyman Brubaker, whose theft of over $21,000 of books was reported yesterday on LISNews.

One is Ada-Marie Atkins Nechka, of the U of Calgary's MacKimmie Library, and the other is WWU's Rob Lopresti, a librarian at Western Washington University in Bellingham and an amateur mystery writer. Lopresti discovered Brubaker attempting to sell the materials on ebay.

Felicitations on some good detective work.

Montanasilver Dunnit

birdie — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 08:29:23 -0500

A sharp (but unnamed) librarian at Western Washington University did the job of putting two and two together; a) maps and plates cut out of rare old books and b) someone named 'montanasilver' selling same on ebay...

Now James Lyman Brubaker, 74, of Great Falls MT has plead guilty in federal court Monday to charges that he stole (a lot of) rare library books with the intent of re-selling them. A search warrant was obtained and executed at the Brubaker residence based on the WWU investigation. During the search, law enforcement discovered approximately 1,000 books of which 832 were suspected of being stolen from university libraries in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming and Alberta Canada.

Did he spray toes at library?

Anonymous Patron — Thu, 29 May 2008 16:32:39 -0500

From The Enquirer in Cincinnati:

"In a case that has befuddled police officials, a Columbus man has been charged with crawling under a table at a library on University of Cincinnati’s campus, spraying a substance from a syringe on a woman’s shoes and then photographing them."

Man sought after rare books taken

Blake — Tue, 27 May 2008 06:31:39 -0500

Police are trying to trace a man who has disappeared since his arrest over the theft of rare books from the Royal Horticultural Society in London.

William Simon Jacques, 39, was held after several works vanished at the society's building in Vincent Square.

'Alleged Improprieties' of a Small-Town Librarian

birdie — Fri, 16 May 2008 16:50:42 -0500

Chicago Tribune reports: DES MOINES, Iowa - State auditors allege that a small town librarian was selling off some of the books in the collection on the Internet and pocketing a portion of the money.

Donna Turner resigned from her job as Director of the Center Point Library (IA) on Dec. 6, 2007.

At the time of her resignation, auditors said 211 library books were listed for sale by an Amazon.com account set up by Turner. More background (including travel, hotel and meal receipts) in the auditor's report.

Oh and they're looking for a new director. Maybe someone without an Amazon account?

Arson at Whitby Library

birdie — Tue, 13 May 2008 13:29:27 -0500

Police are hunting for an arsonist after a fire set at a Whitby (ON) library caused $10,000 damage last night.

Fire crews were called to the library on Rossland Rd. E. around 10 p.m. after a fire was set inside the building. The fire was put out, but not before ruining books and damaging part of the building.

The Ontario Fire Marshal confirmed the fire was deliberately set, police said. Story from The Star

Convicted Murderer Librarian Found Dead in Cell

birdie — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:36:22 -0500

William Coday, 51, a former Broward County librarian who fatally bludgeoned his ex-girlfriend with a hammer was found dead in his cell this morning on Death Row, according to the Florida Department of Corrections. Photo and some background on the convict from Court TV.

Coday was being held at Union Correctional Institution in Raiford, was found dead at 2:42 a.m., said spokeswoman Jo Ellyn Rackleff. Sun Sentinel reports.

Maryland School Librarian Ripped off Local Community Organization

birdie — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 09:04:47 -0500

And not petty cash...$101,000 bucks.

But this article from the Examiner informs us that a "judge will likely allow a Montgomery County school librarian who stole $101,000 from a Gaithersburg community to serve her jail time this summer and get off with no criminal record so she can keep her school job.

Between 2003 and August 2006, Jill Delisi, 46, used her part-time position as the Bennington Community Association bookkeeper to suck dry the community’s coffers after its board of directors increased community member fees by 17 percent, according to court documents.

Attorneys for accused pipe bomber question role of library in interstate commerce

Blake — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 07:16:11 -0500

A man accused of setting off a pipe bomb at the main Salt Lake City library tried to convince a federal judge that charges should be dropped against him because the library does not impact interstate commerce.
During a motion hearing, attorneys for Thomas James Zajac argued that the government's charges relating to possessing and detonating an explosive device must show that the target building has something to do with inter-state commerce.

Attorney Deirdre Gorman argued that the city library's core mission is to provide services to the residents of Salt Lake City and that it's business does not extend outside of the state. Because of that, the government should not be able to prosecute Zajac with interfering with interstate commerce.

Librarians targeted for id theft in Philadelphia,PA

Blake — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:04:22 -0500

Police in Whitemarsh Township and other towns in the area say a gang of thieves is targeting, of all people, librarians.
Video surveillance shows the thieves in action. A woman walks out of a Lowe's store with two large power tools. She's not a contractor. Police say she's a thief. The credit card she used had been stolen less than an hour earlier from a librarian at the Chester County library in Exton.
The thieves then went on a 16-hundred dollar shopping spree.