# In Se7en there was the FBI library register, do/did such things exist IRL?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-se7en-there-was-the-fbi-library-register-do-did-such-things-exist-irl/556416>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [October 7, 2010, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-se7en-there-was-the-fbi-library-register-do-did-such-things-exist-irl/556416 "2010-10-07T22:08:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-se7en-there-was-the-fbi-library-register-do-did-such-things-exist-irl/556416/21 "2010-10-08T18:56:51Z")

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> [@Justin\_Bailey](#):
>
> > [@An\_Gadai](#):
> >
> > Thanks for your responses. I have a supplimentary question, do American libraries routinely carry many books that would help people who wanted to get up to no good (e.g. bomb making books)? I suppose there are possibly some legal, wholesome uses for books of this nature.
> 
> I’m sure some do, but it’s not routine, no. There’s just no money in the budget to buy The Anarchist’s Cookbook when you’re struggling to satisfy everyone’s Stephen King/John Grisham/James Patterson/Janet Evanovich itch.

More like, books like _The Anarchist’s Cookbook_ get stolen so often there’s really no point in buying them. Academic libraries are more likely to collect that kind of material.

ETA - the thing is, patrons _hate_ that we can’t tell them what they checked out a year ago! There have also been incidents like a guy who disappeared hiking near IIRC Clemson and investigators thought maybe they could narrow down a search based on books he had checked out, but there was no record. Hey, tell somebody where you’re going, asshole!

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**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-se7en-there-was-the-fbi-library-register-do-did-such-things-exist-irl/556416/22 "2010-10-08T18:59:40Z")

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Of course, if you _haven’t_ returned it, the Library Gestapo will find you long before the FBI do, and they won’t read you any rights.

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**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-se7en-there-was-the-fbi-library-register-do-did-such-things-exist-irl/556416/23 "2010-10-08T19:57:39Z")

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> [@Raguleader](#):
>
> I can’t remember the last time a library put somebody’s name in the book. Did they used to have a card in them that the librarians would write peoples’ names on?

Sorry, I was thinking of my elementary school library and a specialized library at college. Public libraries just had a date stamp.

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