A student’s backpack and laptop were stolen out of Olin Library on Tuesday, Nov. 11. The perpetrator did not take the student’s jacket and wallet, which were lying on the floor next to the backpack. The backpack was later recovered, sans laptop.

According to Director of Public Safety (PSafe) David Meyer, such a recovery is not unusual.

“Nine times out of ten the bag turns up within 24 hours, minus the valuables inside,” he said.

The victim of the theft, who requested to remain anonymous, admitted that leaving his belongings in a public place was a risk.

“When I left my backpack at the library it didn’t occur to me that it would be stolen, but when I came back and saw it was missing, I wasn’t really surprised,” he said. “The thing that surprises a lot of people is that Olin is a public library, and anyone can come in and out. I had to learn this the hard way.”

Associate University Librarian Pat Tully echoed these sentiments.

“It is so important for students to realize that [Olin Library] is a big public building, and that anyone has access to the public areas,” Tully said.

While students leave their belongings unattended fairly often, Meyer cautioned that this is a risky move.

“Would you leave your laptop at Middletown Public Library for two hours and expect to come back and see it?” he said.

Meyer also said that these types of thefts are almost always crimes of opportunity, and that students should do their best to be vigilant about their belongings.

“Do you leave your laptop on the table if you go to the bathroom for two minutes?” he said. “Maybe. Do you leave it there if you are going to the stacks for half an hour? I’m not so sure.”

According to Meyer, thefts like this happen fairly often and are most prevalent around exam time, when the library is open 24 hours a day.

“Students spend a lot of time at the library during exams, they take a lot of breaks, and they tend to think of it as a private space,” he said.

Certain members of the administration say they are aware of the thefts, and have made efforts to inform students and heighten awareness around exam time.

“There are incidents every year,” said Ann Marino, administrative assistant and facilities coordinator at Olin Library. “The last laptop thefts that I recall were last February. We put up posters after those incidents to alert students to the situation.”

In response to this latest theft, PSafe is working with the library to put up posters cautioning students to be careful with their belongings. They also plan to mention this issue in programs they conduct with students. Meyer stressed the importance of using common sense and being cautious, especially around the upcoming exam period.

In addition to the recent laptop theft, the library has seen a rise in vandalism this year. An unknown culprit or culprits have been damaging directory signs around the library.

“These signs were just put up last summer, and cost us a total of four-to-five thousand dollars,” Marino said. “We don’t have any money to replace these signs.”

To date, several signs have had their metal edging removed, and others have suffered gouging.

“When we see the corners of signs are ripped or the frames are missing, we know someone’s been working on this sign—it’s going to come down soon,” Marino said.

Three of the signs were removed from the walls entirely; all were later recovered in the stacks. Their removal, however, caused damage to the walls and ripped off the sheetrock underneath.

Other instances of vandalism this year include the removal of four historic prints from the wall in the third floor corridor of Olin.

There has also been vandalism in Olin in previous years, most notably the theft of two large portraits last year, but this year has been particularly bad, according to Tully.

“We are definitely seeing more vandalism this year than in previous years,” she said.

The planned nature of these acts of vandalism suggests that they are not connected with the laptop theft. Nevertheless, both cases serve as a reminder that Olin is a public space, and students should take care to ensure that their belongings are safe.

“Students feel very secure on campus, and that’s great,” Meyer said. “But sometimes you just need to stop and think.”