Alleged Thefts Disquieting for Libraries

Tweedy scholars hunched over ancient documents have long been a familiar presence at Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, one of the world’s largest repositories of rare books and maps.

But a shiny X-Acto knife glinting on the floor near the seat frequented by one researcher was so out of place that a guard confronted E. Forbes Smiley III, demanding to know whether the implement was his.

Smiley owned up to possessing the razor-sharp knife.

“I must have dropped it,” he told the guard, according to an affidavit filed in Connecticut Superior Court.

Police say they found seven maps valued at more than $900,000 in Smiley’s pockets and briefcase. The 49-year-old rare books dealer pleaded not guilty to larceny, and will again face a judge here Oct. 3.

Library theft is nothing new, but the arrest in June of a respected purveyor of antiquarian books and maps has sent nervous ripples through rare book collections across the country.

Smiley’s footsteps have been retraced, and at least three major libraries have reported finding that maps disappeared at times that coincided with his visits to their collections.

An FBI art crime squad based in Philadelphia has sent warnings to officials at the British Library in London and other foreign collections where Smiley conducted research.

Officials at Yale would not comment about a pending criminal investigation.

A university spokeswoman also refused to disclose whether campus libraries had increased security as a result of the Smiley case.

“Security here is good,” Dorrie Baker said. “We caught him, didn’t we?”

But a guard at Yale’s vast undergraduate library said the incident was a reminder to students and officials of the collections’ vulnerability.

“We are all more aware of it now,” said Carl Pullen, a burly former state trooper, as he dug through the backpack of music theory professor Rick Cohn.

Cohn said he considered the search as he left the grand Gothic building part of the price of using a university library.

“It’s no problem,” the professor said. “They really have to do this.”

Access to university collections of rare books and manuscripts -- such as the Beinecke Library here -- is even more restrictive, said Macey Morales, spokeswoman of the American Library Assn. in Chicago.

“Normally, the folks who have access to those types of material are part of the academic community,” Morales said. “I don’t think anyone off the street could walk in and say, ‘I want to see your rare books.’ I think there would be a certain amount of credentials they would have to produce.”

Antiquarian books expert Katherine Reagan, curator of rare books and manuscripts at Cornell University’s library, said librarians had established national guidelines to help minimize the risk of theft of priceless and irreplaceable materials.

She said rare book libraries used cameras and other devices, and routinely required document users to produce identification that helped track their visits.

“But it really is impossible to eliminate this kind of theft completely,” she said.

Reagan said the thought of an X-Acto knife in a rare books collection made her feel queasy.

“That is the kind of thing that strikes fear in librarians’ hearts,” she said.

Though it may prove to be one of the largest thefts of antique documents in recent memory, the Smiley case is only the latest of several major high-profile alleged thefts from rare book libraries, Reagan said. On its website, the American Library Assn. lists close to 20 years of alleged thefts from universities alone.

Reagan said the trend pointed not only to the need for improved security, but also to the growing marketability of antique books and manuscripts.

“These materials have become very valuable,” she said. “The growing value makes them more attractive targets for thieves.”

Reagan called such robberies “shocking crimes,” saying, “They are robbing not just the institutions, but future generations who will no longer have access to these important materials.”

The Smiley case was especially troubling, Reagan said, because he was widely respected as an authority on old maps and books.

“This person was a trusted insider,” she said.

Smiley did not answer the telephone at his home on Martha’s Vineyard, in Massachusetts.

Smiley’s website (efsmaps.com) promises prospective clients:

“We buy worldwide very aggressively, and sell very actively to dealers and collectors. Individuals who are considering selling separate maps or entire collections can rest assured we are able and willing to fetch the highest possible price for interesting material in good condition.”