Larry Cruse sent in a message recently about a Map Theft on the East Coast.
He has just forwarded another message to the list about this problem.
A related message was just sent out over the MAPHIST list.  Both messages are
included in this message.  ---------------------Johnnie
 
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>From: [log in to unmask]
>Date: Thu, 14 Dec 1995 15:46:00 -0800
>Subject: More Map Theft
 
 
To Library Security Officers:
     I have just had word that the John Carter Brown Library, Providence,
and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, have experienced map
thefts much like the one at Johns Hopkins University.  It is possible that
the thief may be the same person.  Johns Hopkins University has made contact
with the FBI, and the others will be encouraged to do so too.  Please be on
the alert -- especially East Coast libraries on the route to Florida.  I
will re-post the original message from Johns Hopkins for your information.
Susan, Moderator, LSOlist
--
Susan M. Allen, Director of Libraries and Media Services
Kalamazoo College Library
Ext. 7149; E-mail: sallen
 
 
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>Date:         Thu, 14 Dec 1995 17:35:42 EST
>Sender:       Map History Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
>From:         MR RICHARD L PFLEDERER <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject:      Map vandalism
 
Members please note this story today about a man vandalizing maps in
university libraries.
 
Dick Pflederer
 
extracted from:
 
Copyright 1995 Prodigy Services Co.
PRODIGY(R) interactive personal service         12/14/95
5:27 PM
 
          1:14 PM (ET) 12/14
 
          Suspect Left Telltale List
 
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. --The FBI is searching for a man
suspected  of vandalizing rare books in college libraries across
the country for the last 18 months.
 
A list left behind at Johns Hopkins University in
Maryland tipped the FBI to search for Gilbert Joseph Bland Jr.,
who also used the name James Perry, officials said.
 
Bland, 45, who claims to be a graduate student, was
caught  last week at a Johns Hopkins library slicing a map from
a book dating to the 1700s, but police let him go
after he paid to repair the book.
 
In a bag Bland left behind, university officials found
12 other maps that had been removed from 18th-century
books, along with a list of libraries including those at Duke
 University in Durham, Brown University in Providence,
R.I., and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.
 
Bland is suspected of ripping pages last week from
three books at the Wilson Library at the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill. The books are worth
$3,900 and one dates to the 17th century.
 
He showed a University of Florida photo ID to gain
access, said Charles McNamara, the library's rare books
curator. A records search failed to find any students named James
Perry at the Gainesville, Fla., school.
 
Bland also is suspected of taking two maps from a pair
of  books housed at the North Carolina Collection. Each is
valued at about $2,500.
 
Curators at Duke's Special Collections Library believe
Bland damaged 16 of its rare books, some more than 300
years old.
 
Bland has used the name Perry at seven Eastern and
Midwestern university libraries. Most reported damaged
books.