The British playwright and provocateur Joe Orton enjoyed taking books from the library, decorating th eir pages with collages, then returning them to circulation, an act of guerilla art that led to prosecution. According to Orton's biography: "Most perturbing to the court was not the abuse of private property but the care and intelligence with which Orton...tampered with the books. 'For some reason which seems not to be clear,' the prosecuting council said, '[he] had not only stolen the books but had caused the most extraordinary damage to them.'"

In 2006, the (Downtown) Omaha Lit Fest, an annual literary festival, paid tribute to such extraordinary damage by hosting Speaking Volumes: Acts of Defacement, an art exhibit of "altered" books, at the W. Dale Clark Library. We took abused, battered, and well-worn books that had been withdrawn from the library's collection, and distributed them among artists, writers, and others, asking them to transform the books into art. The exhibit included over 50 pieces (images of some of the work can be viewed by clicking on Tilt). Money raised from the event benefits the Omaha Public Library.

The Lit Fest will host another altered book exhibit in 2007. If you'd like more information, send a request to timothy@omahalitfest.com.