SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - A 31-year-old employee at Springfield's public library has been accused of stealing hundreds of donated books, videos and compacts discs and then putting them up for sale on eBay, police and library officials said.
Lori Burger, of Modesto, who was responsible for cataloging the donations at Lincoln Library, was charged Thursday with one count of library theft. If convicted on the Class Three felony charge, she could face up to five years in prison.
Police say that when Burger found the library already had a copy of a donated item, she would take it and list it on the online auction site. She took 2,000 items and sold 1,000 for a $10,000 profit; another 1,000 items were found in her home, police said.
The books Burger is accused of stealing, including "The Summons" by John Grisham and "The Court and the Constitution" by Archibald Cox, were valued at more the $300.
There was no listing in the telephone directory for a Lori Burger in Modesto.
Burger, who had worked at the Lincoln Library for about five years, submitted her resignation Thursday as charges against her were announced.
The library is examining its cataloging procedures to see how similar thefts can be prevented in the future, said Nancy Huntley, the library's director.
"I think anytime an employee is stealing from an employer, that is a serious matter and needs to be dealt with," she said.
