Records relating to the Muhlenberg College library theft, 1981-1983

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: M.C.-MSS-D-Shinn

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Series 1 consists of the files maintained by Muhlenberg librarians relating to the theft, the efforts to return stolen books, Shinn's legal case, and accompanying awards and publicity. Series 2 consists notes and articles written by Dick Cowen '53, a reporter for the Morning Call newspaper.

Dates

Majority of material found within 1981 - 1983

Creator

Sacks, Patricia Ann (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research; access by appointment.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright for this material remains with the publishers/creators. It is the sole responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy any claims of copyright before making use of reproductions beyond the conditions of fair use, as described by the United States Copyright Law. Contact Trexler Library archives staff for additional information.

Historical Note

In December 1981, James Shinn (d. 2005), an alleged book thief who was on the run after having been arrested stealing books from the Oberlin College library, was spotted in Muhlenberg College's library. The authorities were alerted, Shinn fled, and he was eventually apprehended in a local motel. Shortly thereafter, a large collection of volumes, stolen from libraries across the United States, was discovered in a Bethlehem, PA storage facility. Muhlenberg's librarians, led by director Patricia Sacks, spent two years working to return the stolen materials to their respective libraries. In 1982, Shinn pled guilty and was sentenced to two ten-year sentences. He was paroled in 1995. The case received national attention. As a result of Shinn's actions and capture, Pennsylvania passed the Archives, Library, and Museum Protection Act, which finally made library theft a criminal offense.

You may read more about the case in this 2017 Atlas Obscura web article.