TUCoPS :: Physical Security :: library.txt

Beating the Library




                           _ _______________________
                          | |                       |
                          | | _____________________ |
                          | |                       |
                          | |  Beating the Library  |
                          | | _____________________ |
                          | |                       |
                          | |      Written by:      |
                          | |                       |
                          | |     The Ramsacker     |
                          | | _____________________ |
                          | |                       |
                          | |    Pieces of Eight    |
                          | |  Kracking Publishers  |
                          |_|_______________________|



     Have you ever been fined by the library for bringing back materials past
their due date and felt that it was just a bunch of bullshit?  Well,  now you
can permanently check books out from the library without having to pay for
them.


Method 1:

     Walk into the library with a backpack containing a notebook and some
other book (what book it is doesn't matter).  Find the books you want and
some other books you don't want,  then go back to your seat.  Open everything
up and pretend that you are studying and taking down notes in the notebook.
After a while,  start packing up,  but put the books you want to keep in your
backpack.  Return the other books back to the shelf.  Pick your backpack up
and walk out of the library.  If someone stops you on the way out and asks
you to return the books that you took then apologize and say that you took
them absent-mindedly (be sincere).  Try it again another time.  This will not
work if the library has a security system that detects books that haven't
been properly checked out.  Refer to "Deterring Book Security" to bypass this
obstacle.

     The problem with this first method is that it may take too long,
depending on how much time you're willing to spend "studying" to make it look
legitimate.  The next method is much faster.


Method 2:

     Obtain the complete address of someone you don't like that lives near
you.  Go to the library clerk and ask for a new library card.  If she asks
you if you already have one,  say no.  You may have to be 18 or older to get
a library card on your own so tell the clerk that you are 18 if she asks.
When she asks you to fill out the temporary card,  use the name and address
of your favorite enemy.  The clerk may then check the address to make sure
you did not give any false information (such as an address that does not
exist).  You will then get a temporary card that you can use that very day.
Find the books you want and check them out.  Use the card for about a month
before you throw it away.  The library will get itchy after a month and may
start asking you about your overdue books and may not let you check anymore
out.  In the meantime,  however,  your enemy will receive his new library
card along with a bill for all of his overdue books.

     One possible problem that may arise when attempting this method would
lie in the fact that some libraries might require you to show proof of
identification.  This can be overcome by attaining the I.D. of your favorite
enemy using some devious plot.


Deterring Book Security

     Some libraries have security systems that beep when you try to walk out
of the library with a book that hasn't been properly checked out.  These
systems rely on a magnetic strip that is inserted into the binding of the
book.  When a book is checked out,  it is bumped against a machine that
de-magnetizes the strip,  thus allowing the book to pass through the security
system.  When the book is checked in,  it is bumped against a different
machine that magnetizes the strip,  so if an attempt is made to walk away
with the book,  the alarm will sound.

     These security systems are easy to spot.  They consist of two
rectangular columns,  each about five feet tall,  on either side of the
entrance with one dividing column in between.  The two rectangular columns
have silver squares covering the inner sides of them.

     In order to bypass the security system,  you must remove the magnetic
strip from within the book's binding.  The easiest way would be to check the
book out and do it in the privacy of your own home,  then check it back in
and wait for it to be re-shelved,  but it can be accomplished inside the
library if it is done cautiously.  Out of sight of anyone around you,  open
the book up and look in between the spine (side cover) and the binding.  You
should see a metal strip glued to the inside.  Take a flathead screwdriver
and scrape it from the book.  This can be done fairly quick.  Don't hang on
to the strip.  It's magnetized!  If you walk out with it in your possession,
it will still trigger the alarm.  Throw it on top of a bookshelf or in a
waste-paper basket.  You might want to have fun with it by putting it in some
lady's purse.  Put the book in a backpack or something so that you don't look
suspicious walking out of the library with a book you didn't walk in with.

     The magnetic strip will not always be located in the spine of the book.
You may sometimes find it on the inside of the back cover,  or anywhere else,
depending on how far the library will go in order to keep it hidden from you.
Look under and inside the card pocket and on the inside of each cover.  The
worst place it can be is inside the spine because its a bitch to remove and
is hard to see.  Also,  the magnetic sensor may not always be a strip.  It
can be a small, black circle or a white square that looks like it has a
solder schematic underneath it.  Just use common sense.  If it looks like it
might be a magnetic marker,  take it off.

     This same security method is used in book stores,  except that the metal
strip will instead be inserted between two pages near the middle of the book.
Find the strip and discard it.  Then put the book in a bag or something and
casually walk out.


     Now you can create your own personal library where you won't get fined
for overdue books!


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        ________________________________________________________________
       |                                                                |
       | DISCLAIMER: This textfile is provided for educational purposes |
       |             only and the author cannot be held responsible for |
       |             any misuse of the information contained within it! |
       |________________________________________________________________|



                                                       The Ramsacker
                                                       July 23, 1988
                                                       4:57 AM




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