Jury out in trial involving Glenn Gould archive items

Last Updated: Monday, October 23, 2006 | 6:11 PM ET

CBC Arts

A New York jury began deliberating Monday in the trial of a Texas college professor charged with stealing items once owned by Canadian classical pianist Glenn Gould.

Barbara Moore, 62, of Austin, Tex., was charged with stealing thousands of dollars of items from Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa.

She is charged with third-degree criminal possession of stolen property, fourth-degree grand larceny and third-degree attempted grand larceny.

She had been given access to to the Gould collection in the late 1980s for research purposes.

Moore was arrested in May after items of Gould's appeared for sale through a New York dealer.

Assistant district attorney Jennifer Martin urged the jury to convict the college professor, saying she had stolen photographs, books, compositions, audio and video recordings, letters and items such as hats and gloves belonging to the late pianist.

Gould died in 1982 at age 50 and his estate donated or sold his archive to the library for the use of researchers.

The great Canadian pianist is known for his interpretations of Bach's Goldberg Variations.

During the three-day trial, Moore's defence lawyer said Moore obtained the Gould memorabilia legally.

Shane Brooks said the curator of the Ottawa library archive, the late Stephen Willis, had given her the materials.

He also argued Willis was disorganized and did not keep track of which items had been placed in the archive and which given away.

The scandal came to light in December 2005, when a Gould researcher in Victoria, B.C., alerted Canadian authorities to an online auction site offering Gould items.

The New York police department's cyber crimes unit investigated after being contacted by Library and Archives Canada.

Moore faces up to seven years in prison if convicted on the stolen property possession charge and up to four years if convicted on the others.