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/reuters/ - An 85-year-old California man with a passion for reading has been banned from all his local libraries after stealing more than 3,500 books and videos over a four year period.

Ernest Heyneman, a retired movie studio employee, pleaded no contest on Wednesday to the burglary charge which police said covered items ranging from fitness videos to a book called "All I Need to Know I Learned from Watching Star Trek."

Authorities said Heyneman was a regular visitor to his local Los Angeles area libraries. He would check out several books and videos a week, take them home and remove the security strips before returning the items on time. He then returned to the library at a later date and smuggled out his chosen material.

He was detected after a librarian noticed a scarcity of medical books in the branch and made the link to Heyneman.

Heyneman's lawyer said after Tuesday's sentencing hearing that his client was devastated by the punishment. "He loves books. He found solace in books. The penalty is jail for him. Worse than jail," attorney Stanley Sumalpong told reporters.