The World Record for Stolen Library Books?

Does the Pahang State Library hold the world record for largest number of stolen library books, I wonder? This story is a couple of years old, but I don't remember reading it in the papers here. It was picked up by AFP and I came across it on a Zambian website. (Bizarre the way stories travel!)

Kuala Lumpur - Malaysians in central Pahang state have failed to return more than 20 000 books including some rare and limited editions from the state library, it was reported.

Some of the books were taken from the Pahang Public Library as long as 28 years ago, state library acting director Faridzah Jaafar said.

Several of the missing books are rare and printed only as limited editions and as such are practically irreplaceable, she said.

"We have tried many ways; some of the borrowers we contacted by letters or memos, some through the telephone, but it is difficult," the Bernama news agency quoted her as saying late on Wednesday.

"Some of them have moved out of Kuantan, Pahang, some admitted the books they borrowed were damaged and some had even died.

"Even more shocking, some of the borrowers admitted they were 'keeping' the books on purpose, because the books were so rare," she said.

The library has an "amnesty month" which is held to enable borrowers to return all overdue books without being fined.

"All they need to do is put the books in a special bin outside the library. They don't have to worry about being known or blacklisted by the library management," she said.

It's not the kind of statistic that would ever find itself in The Malaysia Book of Records though. (The pin picture with the most pins, the longest sitting Santa Claus, the biggest Malaysian flag made from tin cans, the highest water fountain and the largest cement tree, yes. Anything slightly negative, nope, of course not.)

Postscript:

Walker is conducting a poll to see how many stolen library books people have, and which books they've defaced. I confessed. Don't tell on me!