Books, magazines, CDs - libraries are loaded with items that are free for the taking.

Trouble is, some people forget to check them out.

While theft is not a serious problem at area libraries, almost all of them report things that "get up and walk away."

"It's one of those ongoing things you have to face in a library," said Carolyn Buckmaster, media services director at Whitko High School. "Every library has to face that."

Anything by Stephen King is most likely to come up missing at a school library. Other hot ticket items are car magazines, science fiction, the "Goosebumps" series, books on the occult and materials used as research.

Sometimes an item will disappear almost as soon as it's replaced. "We have a problem keeping dictionaries. Our dictionaries come up missing all the time," said Shirley Gackenheimer, instructional media assistant at Tippecanoe Valley High School.

"We saw copy after copy of 'Go Ask Alice' disappear for a few years," said Wawasee's media services director, Bill Guinther. "And 'Catcher in the Rye' - that book is banned in so many places; kids are fascinated by the fact that it's banned."

Missing items on pregnancy, abuse or date rape may be attributed to a student seeking help in a personal crisis. "The person did not feel comfortable checking out the material, but they really did want to read it," Buckmaster said.

But it's hard to figure out the motive behind other thefts. "Things on crime come up missing, sometimes more than others," said Buckmaster. "I'm not laughing because I have to replace it out of taxpayers' money, but at the same time it is kind of ironic."

"We lose religious books. It's unexplainable," said Madeleine Fisher, director of Bell Memorial Public Library in Mentone.

Warsaw Community Public Library reports a similar situation in sound recordings. "There's been a big run on CDs and cassettes - rock and roll, but also contemporary Christian, which we always thought was kind of interesting," said Joni Brookins.

Other baffling incidents include theft of computer mouse balls, old books that mysteriously disappeared from a glass case, three copies of a book ruined by someone who spit tobacco in its pages, and 20 books on the supernatural that seemingly evaporated into thin air ("someone was building their own private collection," Guinther said).

Some thefts, while intentional, appear to be motivated by more than personal gain.

"I have my suspicions that (thefts) are not just by students," said Guinther. "... People appoint themselves as censors, so if they take something, no one will see it, right?"

"People want (certain books) off the shelf so other people can't see them," said WCPL's Dana Owen.

Overall, though, librarians believe that innocent circumstances explain many disappearing articles.

"Students are brought in as a class to do research, they find the book they need, and it seems to be so easy to put that book in a stack you brought with you and just walk out," Gackenheimer said.

Or a student in a hurry doesn't take the time to stop and check out a book. "They think they'll bring it back, but they never do," said Guinther. "It ends up under the bed at home, or under the seat of a car."

Or under the microwave. Or the back of a desk. Or buried in a locker.

These books eventually make it back to the library. But the books that don't turn up, whether school or library, need to be replaced - at taxpayer expense.

"An average book costs $20, so if you're losing 50 books you're losing a lot of money," said Denny Hoff, media services director for Warsaw Schools.

Libraries use various methods for keeping their losses down.

The books at Bell Library are stamped along the page edges, making it difficult to remove the identification.

Whitko allows students to make free copies of many materials they need for research, Buckmaster said, with the library reserving the right to see what students copy.

Many libraries monitor exits; some even check book bags. Students are also taught "library etiquette," such as consideration ("if you misplace something, no one can use it") and responsibility ("you have to return something that doesn't belong to you").

Security systems are used by Warsaw Community Public Library and Warsaw Community High School. Anyone exiting these libraries passes through sensors that go off if the book hasn't been deactivated at checkout. "A book will beep if it's accidentally put in a book bag - it's a real attention- getter," Hoff said.

Security systems have been considered at other libraries but prohibited by expense or feasibility. And others feel this measure is just not necessary.

"In a small community we know everybody," Fisher said. "It's just a little more difficult to swipe something from someone you know ... they might tell your mom."

And, security system or not, items will still come up missing. "You can kind of watch," said Buckmaster, " but if somebody really wants to take something, they're going to do it." [[In-content Ad]]