Did overdue library books cause the Civil War?

Robert Lopresti, the Western Washington University librarian who famously helped foil a prolific map thief back in 2006, will present "How Overdue Library Books Caused the Civil War" during a WWU Connections lecture from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 10, at Village Books in Fairhaven.

Lopresti's talk is a biblio-centric look at a genuine scandal that shook Congress in the months before the Civil War broke out. The light-hearted tale involves missing books, a library without a catalog, the New York Times and even the Dred Scott Decision.

The WWU Connections series is a brown-bag speaker series highlighting the expertise of WWU faculty and staff. It takes place regularly at Village Books.

Lopresti has been a librarian at Western for more than 20 years. He is also a novelist and the author of many mystery stories.