Scott Sentenced to Probation, Community Service

William Scott, who admitted in January that he stole some 30 letters from the Drew University United Methodist Archives Center while working there as an undergraduate, has been sentenced to three years' probation and 300 hours of community service "by working with underprivileged people." The judge ordered Scott to write a letter to the court each month "describing the progress of his life," and to write letters of apology to 72 character witnesses.

Drew University has also reached a separate, civil settlement with Scott, who paid $7,500 in restitution for the stolen documents (all but one of which have been recovered).

Extremely unfortunate result, but not a particularly surprising one. While I have my doubts that letter-writing and community service are a severe enough punishment for what this guy did, hope springs eternal that he really has learned from the experience. Time will tell.

Student Pleads Guilty to Theft from Drew Archives

I was just thinking last week how odd it was that we'd heard nothing about the William John Scott case, in which (now-former) Drew University freshman and part-time archives employee was accused of stealing more than 30 letters from the university archives.

Word tonight that Scott has entered a guilty plea, and that all but one of the stolen items have now been returned to the archives. The only item still missing is half of a 1755 John Wesley letter.

The plea agreement reportedly does not include a recommended sentence. A preliminary sentencing date of 15 April has been set.

More as I get it.

Links & Reviews

- Ian's cataloging the lost archive of Montague Summers, which is super-exciting. My favorite of his findings, probably not surprisingly, is the mss. of Summers' unpublished play about forger William Henry Ireland.

- Michael Birnbaum writes in the WaPo about historians' concerns with the new Texas state curriculum standards.

- The Henry Miller collection set to sell at PBA Galleries this week was sold by private treaty to "a major American research institution."

- The documents covering the 1774-1776 period in Peter Force's American Archives are now online, thanks to Northern Illinois University Libraries. [h/t Boston1775]

- Art dealer Lawrence Solander pleaded guilty in relation to a $120 million fraud scheme.

- In the NYRB blog, Robert Darnton compares modern blogs to the French libels he covers in his recent book The Devil in the Holy Water.

- A piece in the Drew University student newspaper covers the William John Scott thefts. Rebecca Rego Barry has a post on this case in the FB&C blog too.

- In the NYTimes this week, Patricia Cohen reports on the difficulties archives face in the new digital world, including how to manage writers' computers.

- Paul Collins notes a tour of some abandoned sections of the London Underground.

- Via The Millions, an amazing database of 20th-century bestsellers. [h/t librarythingtim]

Reviews

- Michael O'Brien's Mrs. Adams in Winter: review by Martin Rubin in the Washington Times.

- Marilyn Johnson's This Book is Overdue!: review by Evelyn Small in the Washington Post.

- E.O. Wilson's Anthill: review by Margaret Atwood in the NYRB.

Evidence in Scott Case Hits the Web

The New York Times has posted a series of emails between accused archives thief William John Scott and Norm Conrad, described by the Times as "the curator of the Christian Heritage Museum and marketing director of an affiliated dealer in religious artifacts called 'Rare Bibles and More,' both in Hagerstown, Md." You can read the annotated emails here.

In the tenth email uploaded by the Times, Conrad asks Scott to provide provenance information about the letters (Scott had claimed to have inherited them from his grandfather). Scott replies saying that he's "unsure where he acquired them, sorry."

Conrad told the Times he learned only Monday (when Scott was arrested) that the documents had been stolen, and that they would be returned to Drew University. The FBI is planning to retrieve the items from Maryland. "Calling Mr. Scott 'too bright for his own good,' Mr. Conrad said, 'he definitely has to do some time because it’s a major mistake. But, man, what a waste of a life.'"

In other news, another former employee of the United Methodist Archives at Drew, Swetha Iyengar, has an essay at CNN.com about the case, which includes quotes from several other former archives employees.

Student Worker Steals from Drew U. Archives

Another archives thief, this time a college freshman. Full story from the New York Times. I hope to have more when I've had a chance to dig into it a little more. Seems like a pretty cut and dried case to me, though (we like those). Hope they throw the book at him. Oh, and check your reading room files for a William John Scott.