University of Virginia Library

Library Check Curbs Loss

"If anyone were set upon
stealing books, he could do it.
But I think the entire attitude of
the majority of students is very
good," says Arthur Read, a book
checker at Alderman Library. The
effectiveness of the eight-month-old
system was investigated and
substantial interesting information
has been uncovered.

According to Miss Roy Land,
Circulation Librarian, the new
system has corresponded with a
distinct decrease in the number of
books disappearing from the
shelves. Several inventories have
been conducted to test the
effectiveness of the system.

One such inventory showed, she
said, that of 105 books purchased
since February, 100 were
accounted for. Similar checks a
year ago generally showed 15 to 30
per cent of the books in some
sections were "unaccountably
missing."

The current 5 per cent is a
reasonable figure, since any
inventory overlooks books that
people are reading at the time of
the check.

The book-check idea raised
considerable controversy at the
University last year. Many students
felt that having their books checked
violated the spirit of the Honor
System. Mr. Read commented,
however, that "it's not a reflection
on the student's honor, it's merely
a deterrent and a guard against
carelessness."

The Honor Committee shared
this view last spring, as did the
library staff as a whole, that the
concern was not with theft, but
with carelessness.

It was noted that anyone,
however honorable, can forget to
check out a library book, and then,
as Mr. Read said, "it's missing when
other students want it."

Furthermore, said Miss Land,
the guards have not been a nuisance
to anyone. Mr. Read commented
that most students show their
books without being asked, "but
you run into an occasional
knucklehead who objects."

The system is viewed as a threat
to no one's integrity, and seems to
be the most effective way of
stemming the outflow of thousands
of books from the library without
resorting to the elaborate security
systems found at libraries of many
other universities.