Caught on Camera: Thief Cleans Out Neighborhood Kids’ Book Exchange!

Dozens of books from Renee Lamb’s sharing library were stolen on Tuesday night, unsettling the community in Gilbert, Arizona.

GILBERT, Ariz. — Sharing libraries, small bookcases where residents can take and leave books, have become a popular way to foster a love for reading in neighborhoods across the nation.

Renee Lamb, a homeowner in Gilbert, placed one in her front yard to promote reading in her community. “Sharing the love of reading because reading is kind of a lost art these days,” Lamb explained.

However, on Tuesday evening, a thief in Gilbert disregarded this tradition. Security footage shows an unknown man pulling up in a white sedan, inspecting the books, and then loading dozens of children’s books into his trunk before driving away.

“I had probably 20 to 30 books in there. It was filled from side to side,” Lamb recounted. “He walks to his trunk, pops it open, starts just emptying everything out. He does take a couple of trips in there and then he just takes off.”

Lamb shared the security footage on a Gilbert community Facebook page, sparking an outpouring of support. Members of the community have offered to restock her library with new books.

She hopes the thief will reconsider and return the stolen books. “This isn’t for anything other than just sharing the love of reading with your community and it’s sad we can’t have this in more neighborhoods because of acts like this,” Lamb said.