'Imminent Theft Risk': Library Moves Dr. Seuss Books Behind Desk

LAKE FOREST, IL — Staff at Lake Forest Library have moved copies of several recently discontinued Dr. Seuss books behind a desk and limited them to in-building use to stop anyone from stealing them, according to the library director.

Dr. Seuss Enterprises, the business founded by the late author's family and which holds the copyright to his work, announced on his 120th birthday earlier this month it would stop selling or publishing new copies of six titles due to racist imagery.

"These books portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong," company officials said in a statement. "Ceasing sales of these books is only part of our commitment and our broader plan to ensure Dr. Seuss Enterprises's catalog represents and supports all communities and families."

A week after the announcement, Lake Forest Library Director Catherine Lemmer reported to trustees that there were indications from initial holds and inquiries that the library's copies of the out-of-print titles were at risk of theft.

"We have patrons that genuinely want to read the material to make their own decisions, and by protecting them from theft we preserve that access," Lemmer said in her report. "This is not a new issue. The difference this time is that materials have become subject to an imminent theft risk."

The library has copies of five of the six discontinued Seuss books: "And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street," "If I Ran the Zoo," "McElligot's Pool," "Scrambled Eggs Super!" and "On Beyond Zebra!" It does not have a copy of "The Cat's Quizzer."

To access one of the books, library cardholders may hand over their photo identification to the children's library circulation desk and view the books while remaining in the children's library.

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"This is not a new issue for public libraries," Lemmer said in a statement explaining the new policy. "Lake Forest Library has had conversations for some time around how to balance our values of intellectual freedom with the harmful stereotypes in many classic works of children's literature. At this time, we have not removed any Dr. Seuss books from our collection, but some titles are available for use only in the Library."

Existing copies of the books became hot commodities after the announcement, and library-owned copies of such collector's items are often and resold, according to the library director.

None of Lake Forest Library's copies were lost to thieves, Lemmer told Patch. But other north suburban library directors have reported their copies of discontinued editions have been pilfered, even when limited to library cardholders.

Niles-Maine District Library Executive Director Susan Dove Lempke said one of her library's patrons had checked out copies of "If I Ran the Zoo" and "McElligot's Pool" and listed them for sale on eBay for $200 each immediately after the announcement.

"It was very visible on eBay that it had our stickering and our bar code, so we were able to look up who had them out. The person still had them on their card, they didn't report them stolen or something. So we called him up and said, 'You need to return our books.' And they did," Lempke told Patch. "We knew there would be a market for them, and there was."