HAMILTON — Police are investigating the theft of three laptop computers from the Lane Public Library.
Officer Kristy Collins, police public information officer said the laptop computers were taken by someone for use inside the library but did not return the items on Dec. 21, Dec. 22 and Dec. 27. Each of the computers were checked out during the early afternoon to early evening hours at the library, 300 N. Third St.
“When the library called the suspect, they could not reach him because a wrong phone number was given,” she said.
Collins said police were uncertain if the same suspect was involved in all three thefts.
The 15-inch laptop computers were the Dell Vostro models and were valued at $800 each, she said.
Library Director Joe Greenward confirmed the three thefts from the Hamilton library as well as the two thefts in the past few weeks from the Oxford branch, 15 S. College Ave.
Greenward said the library has been using the in-house circulation of the laptop computers for the past two years because of limited space that prohibits installing desktop computers.
He said in order to use a laptop, an ID is needed to check it out.
“This has never happened before,” Greenward said.
He said the laptop computers will not be available to the public for the next few weeks until GPS tracking software can be installed.
Greenward said there have been more than 200,000 Internet sessions made by patrons in the past year and that usage across the Lane Library system was up 15 percent in 2011 over 2010. He said usage was up more than 40 percent at the Hamilton library in 2011.
“It’s unfortunate because it’s a very popular service,” Greenward said. “We won’t allow a small number of people to interrupt this service.”
Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4504 or Ed.Richter@coxinc.com.