WHEAT RIDGE, Colo. — On the sidewalk outside Kate Schneider’s Wheat Ridge home, dozens of books are neatly lined up inside a small wooden box.
Schneider takes great care to make sure her little free library has something for everyone, from thrillers to children’s books.
“I really like to keep it fresh with some good stuff,” said Schneider. “I’m a little selective about what goes in here.”
But on May 15, she noticed her library was completely empty.
“I was a little shocked,” she said. “There was absolutely nothing in there, and I had just restocked it.”
She estimated someone took between 40 and 50 books, so she posted a warning about it on social media.
Other neighbors quickly replied saying the same exact thing had happened to them.
“I guess I’m a little naïve, I guess I had no idea this was something people did,” she said. “I’m not sure if whoever’s doing this is coming from a place of desperation, or if they’re really having a lot of success with stealing and re-selling books.”
Lacy Allaire shared a video with 9NEWS of someone apparently clearing out her little free library in Westminster last week.
A security camera captured the exchange between the woman:
Allaire: "You’re not going to take them all, are you?”
Woman: “Do you have a problem with that?"
Allaire: “Yeah, it’s my library."
Woman: “But they’re free."
Allaire: “I mean I don’t have an endless supply of books to put out here."
Woman: “So, if you want them, why do you put them out here?”
Allaire: “I definitely want people to read them.”
Woman: “But if you want them, why do you put them out.”
Allaire: “I just don’t think somebody should take them all.”
But is it a crime? A Wheat Ridge Police spokesperson said it’s a gray area.
“It would be hard to investigate these situations as theft since the person is setting the expectation that the books are meant to be taken,” said Wheat Ridge Police in a statement. “Regardless, the behavior certainly doesn’t reflect our community values here in Wheat Ridge and we wish people would be more respectful and not take advantage of their neighbor’s generosity.”
Schneider has started blacking out the bar codes and writing “not for resale” on the cover, hoping it will dissuade people from taking dozens of books at a time.
“I’m not planning on stocking it with flight manuals and sad, self-help books,” joked Schneider. “There will still really be good content in here, it’s not going to change. The library’s open, so come get some books.”
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