Following years of thefts and book mutilations, the Harvard College library is seeking applicants for the newly-created job of director of security and public safety.

Thefts and mutilations have cost the College's libraries thousands of dollars. In one celebrated but as yet unsolved case, a suspect known only as the "Widener slasher" destroyed dozens of books over a period of years. Harvard police spent tens of thousands of dollars investigating, in vain.

The new post, which was first advertised in yesterday's Harvard Gazette, will likely be filled by mid-January, according to Susan A. Lee, the associate librarian of the College for administrative service.

"We are looking to generally upgrade the level of security within the organization," Lee said yesterday. "It is meant to address issues of security for collections and the public safety of users and staff."

According to Lee, the thefts did not lead directly to the creation of the position, but they were a significant factor.

"[The thefts] are clearly related, those are issues specific to the collection," she said. "[But] this is something we have been talking about for about two years now."

The new security director will be in charge of the book checkers and their supervisor, David W. Muir, according to Lee. But the director will primarily be responsible for coordinating the library security system.

Lee said there will a push to install an electronic security system in all the libraries. Eventually, the libraries could add electronic i.d. card checks like those now in the dining halls.

"It is an area where traditionally we have not had in-house expertise, and the expertise is getting more and more sophisticated," Lee said.

There have been a number of major thefts from libraries and museums in recent years.

Last September a former part-time library assistant, Patrick J. Crowley of Cambridge, allegedly stole artifacts from Cabot Library, the Observatory and the Fogg Museum Library. The rare illustrated book plates, prints and astrological illustrations now missing are worth tens of thousands of dollars.

Four months earlier, James A. Hogue was arrested after Harvard police detectives found him in possession of almost $100,000 in gems from the mineralogical museum.