Be On Alert

Between May and November of 2016, approximately 120 books were stolen from the Stanford University Libraries. The thief was arrested in November, but promptly posted bail. He was identified as Barry Nelson Brams (pictured here), a white male, around 60 years in age and 5 feet 10 inches in height.

Mr. Brams would visit the library to inspect books on the new book shelf and then return to steal items once they had been placed in general circulation. He removed RFID tags, book pockets and barcodes and obscured property stamps with a black marker. He hid RFID tags and other materials removed from books on the top shelves of the stacks and in other books.

Because of the systematic nature of the theft and the extent of the loss, we are alerting area libraries in case Mr. Brams decides to target other academic or public libraries. If you have questions or would like additional information about this case, please contact Robert N. Schwarzwalder ( rns@stanford.edu or 650-723-2025 )