A new law approved by the Madison City Council on Tuesday will require shops that buy secondhand textbooks to keep lists, available to police, of the people who sold the books.
Textbook theft, which the ordinance is intended to address, is a major problem, according to Eli Judge, Mike Verveer and Robbie Webber, the council members representing the districts with the highest concentrations of UW-Madison students.
The new regulations, however, will only deal with people who are looking for quick cash from stolen books, not the people who sell the books they steal on eBay and other Internet sites, said Ald. Zach Brandon, who supported the proposal.