In Memoriam
While researching Stephen Blumberg’s crimes our Honors class had the privilege of welcoming Arnette Payne, who worked in the Creighton libraries for over 42 years, starting with her time here as a student worker. As a librarian at Creighton, she was one of the volunteers the FBI recruited to help them process Blumberg's stolen books. When she visited and spoke with us, Arnette gave us information about the Omaha Project's operation as well as the perspective of a devoted librarian in response to Blumberg’s actions. She sadly passed away shortly after visiting us and this collection is in memory of her legacy and spirit.
Arnette was one of many librarians who assisted the FBI in identifying what books Blumberg stole and where they originated from. She reminisced about her time by recounting engaging stories. She told us how she worked one afternoon each week for several months sorting through the nineteen tons of books that Blumberg stole and described working in the book warehouse, noting that its location was highly confidential. While finding the home for the 23,000+ books was tedious work, Arnette remembered fondly that volunteers were given incentives such as a free t-shirt, complimentary meals, and snacks for each shift.
Above all, Arnette gave us some insight into the motives that inspired librarians to participate in the Omaha Project. She noted that she volunteered to help with the Omaha project because of her love for books but also because she, like many other librarians, felt frustrated, hurt, and betrayed by Blumberg’s deeds. This drove Arnette and other librarians to provide over 1,000 hours of volunteer labor and what made it possible for so many books to be returned to their rightful owners.