[CPProt.net] Ease of Internet sales fueling historical artifact thefts

[MSN CPPnet (Ton Cremers)]

Posted on Sun, Dec. 11, 2005 
 

Ease of Internet sales fueling historical artifact thefts

Associated Press


LEXINGTON, Ky. - Experts say the lure of a quick sale on the Internet is
behind a rash of historical document thefts from libraries, universities and
other archives in Kentucky and around the country.

Recently in Louisville, police arrested a 70-year-old retired executive who
allegedly took more than 53 documents and other objects from the Filson
Historical Society. And last year, four men assaulted a librarian and took
rare manuscripts and sketches from Transylvania University. They were each
sentenced last week to seven years in a federal prison.

A boom in popular interest in the antiquities trade, fanned by the Internet
and appraisal shows on television, could be providing motivation for the
crimes, some experts said.

Eric Brooks, the curator at Ashland, Henry Clay's historic home in
Lexington, and president of the Historical Confederation of Kentucky, said
he often receives calls from people who want him to appraise attic
treasures.

"As a result of EBay culture and shows like Antiques Roadshow, people have
learned that these things have a monetary value," Brooks said.

Mike Courtney, a rare book dealer in Lexington, said the Internet has fueled
a market.

"Because of the Internet, there's more demand and it's easier. You can put
it online on eBay or a site and find a customer readily, which makes the
price go up."

Many institutions tightened security policies in 2000, after a book of
American Indian lithographs was stolen from Centre College in Danville.

Centre librarian Stan Campbell said access to the rare books collection has
been curtailed. Only those with a letter of introduction can look at
Centre's collections.

"It's unfortunate, but those are the steps we had to take," he said.

University of Kentucky officials said they have been looking into security
upgrades because of the Transylvania incident. Like other institutions, UK
has to weigh the needs of researchers who want to look at original documents
against increasing needs for security.

"There is a tension between use and preservation," said Bill Marshall,
curator of manuscripts at UK.

At the University of Louisville, a list of the library's special collections
is available online and in a paper catalog. The library has no plans to
change that policy any time soon, said James Anderson, a curator of
photographic archives at U of L.

"We're still open to the public, but we have more security measures in
place, such as a librarian would never be alone with someone that is looking
at something of value," Anderson said.

Eileen Brady, a librarian at Washington State University who lectures around
the country on library security, says librarians tend to assume that a crime
won't happen in a library.

"Part of the problem is that we have a culture of thinking that nothing ever
happens in libraries," Brady said. "Things are improving, but not enough -
higher education is facing budget shortfalls, and libraries aren't getting
as much money as they used to."

In the Transylvania case, U.S. District Judge Jennifer Coffman sentenced the
men to the minimum time under federal guidelines after a nine-hour hearing
Tuesday. Eric Borsuk, Charles Allen II, Warren C. Lipka and Spencer W.
Reinhard will have to serve at least six years of their sentences.


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Information from: Lexington Herald-Leader, http://www.kentucky.com