GILBERT, Ariz. — You likely have one in your neighborhood or town. Sharing libraries are a way for people to take a book, read it, and then place one of their own in the bookcase.
“Sharing the love of reading because reading is kind of a lost art these days," Gilbert homeowner Renee Lamb said of why she placed one in her front yard.
One thief in Gilbert had no intention of following this tradition on Tuesday evening. The unknown male pulled up in a white sedan in front of Renee Lamb's front yard and emptied the shelves of her sharing library.
Her home security cameras captured the thief in action. He inspects the books, opens his truck, and takes off with dozens of children's books.
“I had probably 20 to 30 books in there. It was filled from side to side," Lamb said. "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 put the video on a Gilbert community Facebook page and the reaction caught her by surprise. Countless people are offering to help make her sharing library brim with books once again.
She hopes the thief comes to his senses and returns all the 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.
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