Con man takes bookish approach

By Naoibh O'Connor-Staff writer

The Vancouver Public Library is warning customers about an unusual scam. A person claiming to be one of its volunteers knocked on the door of a man living in Mount Pleasant insisting he was collecting overdue library books.

While such a visit might inspire fear in the hearts of those who've missed their books' due date, library spokeswoman Marya Gadison says the VPL doesn't engage in such practices. Patron information is kept strictly confidential and the library never sends volunteers or staff to a person's home. Gadison warns individuals to refuse such requests and report such incidents to the police.

Exactly what a person would gain from stealing library customers' overdue books from their homes is questionable, Gadison said. "I couldn't even speculate why someone would do that. Our material is very clearly marked with stamps and bar codes, so most booksellers wouldn't buy them."

As for those who've forgotten to return books, she said: "The funny thing is we're pretty friendly when books are overdue. People pay fines, but we're happy to get the material back."

published on 07/27/2005