Theft and Mutilation of Library Materials

Galter Health Sciences Library Committee and the Northwestern University Senate have authorized this document.

Theft and mutilation of educational materials in the University Library, its branch libraries and the Chicago campus libraries constitutes a serious offense against the University community. Not only are valuable books, papers, etc. destroyed or lost--in some cases forever--but faculty and students are also deprived of access to those materials because of the crime. Thus, theft and mutilation are forms of cheating, i.e. one student having unfair advantage over others. The Evanston campus Academic Committee and the Library Committees of the University and Chicago campus libraries jointly, therefore, propose that the University Senate enact the following regulation on theft and mutilation of educational materials in the Libraries.

I. Any student found stealing, defacing, destroying, mutilating, altering, or otherwise rendering inaccessible any book, paper, magazine, or other educational materials in any of the Northwestern University Libraries will be referred to the President, or any other administrative officer so designated by the President, who in turn will lodge a formal complaint against the student in the University Hearing and Appeals System (UHAS).

II. If the student is found guilty of the offense in UHAS, or if the student admits to guilt, the following sanctions will be recommended to apply:

(A) FIRST OFFENSE

• Payment in full for replacement and processing of any materials lost, damaged or destroyed. Costs will be determined by the individual Library.

  and

• Suspension from the University for one quarter. Normally, this would be the quarter following the one during which the offense was committed.

  and

• In those cases where the Hearing Board determines that the theft or mutilation of materials gave the student an unfair advantage in a course, the appropriate Dean of the student's school will be notified of the UHAS sanctions and may then, upon consultation with instructor, determine if there should be some effect upon the student's status in the course.

(B) SECOND OFFENSE

• Immediate expulsion of the student from the University.

III. Any non-student member of the University community found stealing, defacing, destroying, mutilating, altering, or otherwise rendering inaccessible any book, paper, magazine or other educational materials in any of the Northwestern University libraries will be referred to the appropriate senior administrator responsible for the offending member. The senior administrator will then authorize an ad hoc board of peers (e.g. three faculty members, three staff members, etc.) to hear the case, and if guilt is determined, the following sanctions will be recommended to apply:

(A) Payment in full for replacement and processing of any materials lost, damaged or destroyed. Costs will be determined by the individual Library.

and

(B) Plus payment in full of fine.

and/or

(C) Termination of employment by the University.