The incident occured Nov. 20. Around the beginning of December, Robbins placed a surveillance monitor on the circulation desk.

Library thefts in Arlington have their history. Maryellen Remmert-Loud, the library’s director, said that after a serious incident several years ago, the Arlington Police Department recommended that security cameras be installed in the library, but it was unable to do so until the Board of Trustees this year voted trust funds for the project.

In the last several years, the library has had an increasing number of thefts of backpacks, laptops and DVDs. According to a report provided by Capt. John Serson of Arlington police, at least six larceny cases were reported last year at the library.

“As a preventive measure to protect citizens and make the facility as safe as possible, we again explored the feasibility of security cameras,” Loud noted.

A backpack, missing from Robbins Library earlier in 2007, was found near this Mass. Ave. bus stop, and $400 was missing.

The total cost, which includes cameras, wiring, DVR master monitor, labor and installation, was $14,899, she said. To protect privacy, the tapes will be viewed only if an incident occurs that warrants it, Loud explained.

It's unclear whether surveillance, had it been in place, would have helped Bonnie Leung, an 11th grader at AHS. About 4 p.m. last Nov. 20, Leung went to the library right after school to get a practice book for the December SAT.

According to Leung, she left her heavy backpack on a table near the entrance of the second floor while she searched for books nearby. Five minutes later, she approached the table but found nothing on it.

Unlike others who might become anxious after losing possessions, Leung wondered, "Why would anyone take my calculus book?" Her backpack was full of binders, notebooks and several textbooks.

However, she was fortunate enough to have placed her wallet and cellphone in the jacket she was wearing. Having run to the reference desk on the first floor, Leung immediately accepted the librarian's suggestion of searching around the library. Without asking further questions, she went to the second floor and scrutinized every corner.

"I found my backpack under one of the desks," she said.

All the zippers of the backpack had been opened; even her glass case was open wide. It was obvious to her that the person only wanted money, because all her homework, notes and lunch remained inside.

Immediately after, she saw a man acting in a suspicious way who hurried downstairs. Curious to know whether he was the thief, she ran after him but stopped after a while.

"When he saw me, he walked much faster, but I can't just stop him without any evidence," Leung said.

All she saw was his back, but she was sure the man in the raincoat was the one.

Leung wasn't scared, and she was fortunate that the person didn't take graphing calculator, which cost more than anything else she had in the backpack.

Susan McGonagle, young-adult librarian, says most patrons are honest, but she urges caution.

The young-adult librarian, Susan McGonagle, was also relieved after Leung found her backpack. "Theft has been happening lately for the past year," she said. "I've worked here 17 years, and it had never happened before until lately."

A man lost his laptop a year ago at Robbins Library, and six months earlier another man's backpack was stolen, McGonagle said. "I was going to tell her [Leung] to look around the floor then look outside," she said.

According to McGonagle, the man found his backpack near the bushes around the Mass. Ave. bus stop that is very close to the library, but the $400 in the backpack was gone.

McGonagle says most people who come to the library are honest, but she thinks all patrons should be cautious about their surroundings. Because Robbins Library is a public place, anyone can come and go, which makes it even more difficult to identify or catch a suspected thief.

The second and third floors have been the possible locations of theft, because they are much quieter and have fewer patrons.

"They [people who lost the laptop/money] were upset," McGonagle said. "They called the police and tried, but what can we do? It's hard to catch." She sighed deeply and shook her head, saying, "When economy gets bad, this [theft] can happen everywhere." 

Lt. Kenneth Hughes of Arlington police wasn't surprised to hear about the library theft. "It didn't shock me," he responded immediately.

 He further pointed out that theft is usually more common in college where people are enticed to take expensive and portable devices like laptops and GPSes. "But Arlington is a relatively safe place," he said.

Nevertheless, there have been some incidents in the town. For instance, thefts have been happening in several different supermarkets. One occurred Dec. 11, 2007, at Stop & Shop when a customer's bag was stolen. "Take them [valuables] with you all the time. Don't leave them unattended," Hughes said.

Then if your backpack were stolen, he said, it would be wise to search the vicinity. In most cases, people who steal a backpack empty the contents and throw them around the property; money is the only thing that entices them.

If a person's belongings are stolen, he or she can call the Police Department to seek help. But Hughes does not believe there are enough thefts to make them priorities compared with burglary or rape. Hughes rejected the idea of setting a false trap to lure the thief in the library. "It's very labor intensive," he said.

According to the Arlington police's 2005 Annual Report (the 2006 report does not contain detailed data), the number of cases of larceny has been climbing steadily since 2003. Among the 572 cases from the different categories in 2005, larceny alone comprises more than 60 percent of the total number of crimes in Arlington.