Would it be "stealing" to remove a library book from circulation?

[Dinah_Rose]

I was browsing in the library the other day and found a number of books that were morally problematic for one reason or another. Some were anti-Catholic, others were anti-religion, others glorified immorality. You get the idea.

While I could not afford to do so for every bad book I came across, I was wondering if I could check out a particularly bad book and “lose” it. I would pay for the loss, the library would be compensated, and the book would no longer be available. Is this stealing? Or, if it is, can I just keep re-checking the book out on a regular basis so it is not available to others?

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

Yes, it would be a form of theft to borrow a book and then pretend to lose it. Even if you pay for the “loss,” you would be buying the book under false pretenses. The library would not be agreeing to its sale and would want to retain ownership of the book if it knew the book was not actually lost. In any case, such a plan is ultimately futile because the library likely would use the money you paid to buy a new copy of the lost book. As for your other idea, while it would not constitute theft, the library would believe that the book was so popular with patrons that more copies of the book should be purchased to meet the demand.

Here’s a two-fold idea that may work better in the long run. For the truly awful books that pose a grave risk to public morals (e.g., non-fiction manuals on the occult, pornographic fiction, extreme bigotry), you might ask to meet with the librarian to express your concerns. Books that have a limited audience and/or are unsuitable for viewing by children might be kept “behind the desk,” to be lent to adults only upon request. Books that foster hatred and intolerance of others, and be careful here to pick only indisputable examples because that is a pendulum that can swing in more than one direction, should be considered for removal from circulation by the library itself.

On the other hand, for the run-of-the-mill trashy, mildly bigoted, or screwy material that presents challenges to faith and morals but does not constitute a grave risk, try recommending books for purchase that counter it. When you find unchaste novels, recommend a popular book on chastity; for anti-Catholic screeds, recommend books on Catholic history and apologetics; for secular propaganda, recommend books on the history and contributions of religion to society. Libraries often purchase books recommended by regular patrons, so you might end up contributing to a better selection of material for everyone.

Recommended reading:

Evangelizing Your Library by Nancy Carpentier Brown (sidebar)