IWA for Sunday 080507

Hey folks,

It’s Sunday, time for the IWA. Now do not take this the wrong way. I’m not attempting to turn anyone off from going to the library. I’m not saying that libraries are bad in anyway. I know many people that love libraries. I’m just not one of them. I find them boring and quite frankly, I just do not care for them at all.

Maybe it the fact that I can with a click, get any and all the information I want about anything. Maybe it the fact that if I want a book, I can BUY one. This way, it matters not, how long it may take me to read it.

Having said all that, even I understand the way the library system works. They have books, tapes, movies, ETC. that you are more than welcome to BORROW to read, listen to, or read. Borrow being the key word. They kind of expect you to give them back.

Well, according to the AP-Library patron accused of selling books

A library patron suspected of selling hundreds of books, tapes and DVDs he had borrowed has cost Denver-area libraries tens of thousands of dollars, officials said.

Thomas Pilaar, 33, was suspected of using different names to obtain seven library cards from the Denver Public Library, then checking out 300 items per card and selling at least some of the items, KCNC-TV in Denver reported.

"It appears his intent was to sell 2,100 (items) from the Denver Library collection," Denver Public Library spokeswoman M. Celeste Jackson told the station. She estimated the losses at about $35,000.

How did he remove all the information imbedded in the books indicating they were library books? Where and to whom was he selling these?

Arapahoe County library administrators said Pilaar obtained three library cards and checked out 250 to 300 items.

Again, I do not go to libraries, but are there not limits as to what you can take?

James Larue, Douglas County's head librarian, said Pilaar checked out more than 300 items from two county libraries and had $11,000 worth of overdue items.

$11,000 worth of overdue items? {Laughing} Hey, maybe THAT’s why he started selling the books. He was attempting to raise enough money to paid his overdue late charges.

Authorities were tipped by a woman who recently bought books through Craigslist.org and noticed the library identification stamps.

Oh! He didn’t bother to remove the library identification.

Pilaar was jailed on an unrelated parole violation and was being investigated for theft, said Lynn Kimbrough, spokeswoman for the Denver prosecutor's office. He was being held without bond.

Pilaar declined to comment.

Congratulations Mr. Pilaar , you are the Idiot of the Week. Hey, if I know they expect them back, you most definitely should have.
Peter