Document theft on the rise

One From The AP reports while the scope of the problem is difficult to assess due to a lack of government statistics, many historians, librarians and dealers think document thefts are on the rise because of the soaring value of such rare documents.

The opinion is not unanimous. Everett Wilkie Jr., chairman of an American Library Association committee that reports theft cases brought to its attention, questions the severity of the problem.

“If I were going to guess, I don’t think the problem is any worse,” said Wilkie. “I think it’s just being reported more, and people are more aware of it.”