Stealing from the Library

There is a DVD thief rampant in our library. We always have DVDs stolen but over the last couple of weeks there have been dozens taken from under our nose. We have suspicions but no suspects and so we have adjusted our security cameras to see if we can catch the culprits.

All libraries have thieves. There is not one branch that hasn't struggled with how to secure their property. I was having a conversation the other day about exactly WHY this happens. I think it's due to people's mindset about libraries. I think the people who will steal a dozen DVDs from a library would not even consider stealing them from Blockbuster. To them, stealing from a library is not really stealing because everything in the library is free. They are essentially permanently "borrowing" them.

I personally think stealing from a library is 10x worse than stealing from a Blockbuster. When you steal from a video store you are stealing from a massive corporation. When you steal from a library you steal from your neighbors who contributed the taxes to pay for that library. Everyone gets hurt when you steal from a library. I wish people could understand this, then we would have fewer thefts.