Stephen Blumberg and the understanding of bibliokleptomania helped radicalise library security through understanding Blumberg, other library thieves and bibliomanes their motives, desires and modus operandi to gain a book collection. Stephen Carrie Blumberg was a high school graduate (Weiss 39) born into a substantially wealthy family (Reed) that was notoriously know for compiling the ‘Blumberg Collection’ due to his intense infatuation about Americana by stealing books from three hundred twenty seven libraries across North America (Weiss 38). FBI agents captured Blumberg on 20th March 1990, at the age of forty-one (Basbanes 478). He was later tried and found guilty of the theft of antiquities. The capture and success of Blumberg challenged the security around the preservations of rare manuscripts and books and begged to answer the question the difference bibloklepts and bibliomanes as well as the accessibility of precious books and manuscripts.
Book collecting is much like a hobby or a game (Ahearn and Ahearn 2), people spend considerable amount of time and money because it is an investment as well as an excitement to track down desirable copies (Ahearn and Ahearn 61). In the past many collectors were wealthy males who bought books as a sign of status (Jackson and Rothkopf 170). As times have changed book collectors are now younger with moderate incomes, most of these collectors purchase books legally and often want to possess certain books as a sign of knowledge (Jackson and Rothkopf 175). What is interesting is that most people buy certain books for knowledge and to fulfil needs of procession, a personality common to bibliomanes. Yet some book collections have cultural, educational and economic impact however as the value of the book or article increases the accessibility of the book to the general public becomes less and less (Schreyer 26).
This issue of accessibility is one that seems to have some relevance in Blumberg’s case. He stole the books without the intension of resale (Reed) but rather for the need of personal study and appreciation. In fact his methods of extracting books for large libraries such as the Harvard Library made it hard for the books he stole to be returned to the rightful owners after his arrest (Reed). Blumberg mentioned that he was interested in keeping the books because he was interested in the knowledge he gained for assessing it but also because it was easy to break in (Basbanes 482). In one case, Blumberg a picked a lock and put in a replica whilst he took it from the United States to Montreal in order to find a master key for the look and access levels of the library restricted for staff (Reed).
After the arrest of Blumberg the lax of precautions for protecting books changed in libraries that were meant to protect the safety of important books and documents. Library securities started investing more in modern technology aimed at monitoring the storage of these materials and try to change the attitudes around the accessibility to materials and considering that most book thefts are ‘inside jobs’ (Wilkie Jr. 199).
Changing the accessibility of books not only allows more regular people information but it seems that as most book collectors agree the preservation of books is important but also the interest and development of the fields the books are about makes more collectors interested in donations towards the institution at a later point in time (Basbanes 519). A point Blumberg also mentioned; he wanted the keep the books he stole but he had envisioned that after his death the books would return either to the rightful owners or to people who have keen interest in the relevant subjects.
Biblography
Abbott, E.C. “People Who Steal Books.” Canadian Medical Association Journal 165.12 (2001): 1646-1647.
Ahearn, Allen and Patricia Ahearn. Book Collecting: A Comprehensive Guide: 1995 Edition. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1995.
Basbanes, Nicholas A. A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books. New York : Henry Holt and Company, 1995.
Jackson, Holbrook. The Anatomy of Bibliomania. Savannah: Frederic Beil, 1989.
Jackson, Robert H. and Carol Z. Rothkopf, Book Talk: Essays on Books, Booksellers, Collecting and Special Collections. New Castle: Oak Knoll Press, 2006.
“Profile of a Bibliomanic.” 1993 йил 29-December. National Public Radio. 2011 27-January <http://ezproxy.qa.proquest.com.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/docview/190024840?accountid=14771>.
Reed, Christopher. “Biblioklepts.” 1997 йил March. Harvard Magazine. 2012 20-January <http://harvardmagazine.com/1997/03/biblio.5.html>.
Schreyer, Alice D. “Elective Affinities: Private Collectors and Special Collections in Libraries.” Collectors & Special Collections: Three Talks. Washington: Library of Congress, 2002. 13-34.
Weiss, Philip. “The Book Thief: A True Tale of Bibliomania.” Harper’s Magazine 288.1724 (1994): 37-56.
Wilkie Jr., Everett C., ed. Guide to Security Considerations & Practices for Rare Book, Manucripts and Special Collection Libraries. Chicago: Association of College & Research Libraries, 2011.