Vandal Destroying Books at Troy Library
(Crystal A. Proxmire, July 7, 2016)
Troy, MI – A vandal is destroying books at the Troy Public Library, and they need the public’s help to stop it.
According to Director Cathy Russ,”We have recently noticed a widespread vandalism issue in Adult Services.  Someone is removing the spine labels of books and also tearing off the top of the plastic jackets (on the spine) and sometimes the paper cover as well (photos attached).  This is happening in all areas of Adult Services books — large type, fiction, nonfiction, and teen.
“They put the scraps of jackets and labels behind the shelved books.  For now, we are trying to address the items that have missing or unreadable spine labels.  We will have to look at them individually to determine whether they should be repaired.
“If you see any that fit this description, please give them to an Adult Services librarian or put them on the AS repair cart in Circulation.  This is a very disturbing situation.  We really appreciate anything you can do to help catch the person who is doing it so that we can prevent more damage to the collection.”
The Library is working with Troy Police to investigate this matter and have asked the public to be vigilant.  The cost of repairing or replacing the books is up to $20 per book and some are no longer usable or replaceable.
“When you visit the library, please let staff know if you observe any unusual behavior on the part of other patrons. This is your library, and we appreciate any help you can offer,” stated a recent email to patrons.
Learn more about the Troy Public Library at http://troypl.org/.