What are the most effective library security systems for protecting valuable collections?

Entry control is a common feature in rare book rooms, archives, and special collections areas of academic and public libraries. Although these areas often reside behind locked doors, the process may vary. At an archive, there may be a formalized registration process; in a busy public library, the reference librarian on duty may give a patron a key and provide only minimal supervision. Many academic libraries that have expanded hours late into the evening or for 24/7 access now require students and faculty to use their ID cards to gain entrance. Entry control is especially important in libraries that provide late night access without many staff beyond the circulation desk. Another essential component of entry control may be security guards.

Security cameras are a valuable addition, when there is the ability to maintain archival copies for a specified period of time, and staff able to monitor. I previously worked in a Florida university library that had ample cameras, but monitoring was handled by the computer center and campus police. On multiple instances, when we had incidents in the building, campus police had either "lost" the coverage or it had been written over. This is an important point: If you work in library services, be sure to know how the institution manages surveillance tech well enough so you do not have a false sense of security. Do not see cameras as a panacea that will detect everything. Senior library leaders need to know who's accountable beyond them.

In many libraries, RFID technology has replaced the barcodes and security strips (tattle tape) of yesterday. RFID technology allows for much faster checking out and in of library materials. Tattle tape was an important innovation embraced by many libraries in the 1980s and forward, as a way to secure collections, but it had limitations. For example, books with tattle tape were run through sensitizers and desensitizers, but media items could be damaged by the process and often had to be handed around a security gate with the tape sensitized. Similar to the way many stores now use RFID technology, it allows improved access to and review of collections, greater ease in their circulation, and a better ability to maintain the collections.

The university archives I once worked in had a kitchen sink area within 2 feet of secure stacks, I guess in case staff wanted to make coffee! Although the building was built in the 1990s, when architects and admins should have known better, somebody dropped the ball. Whether you work in a limited access area, like an archive, or the general library facility, it's important that your institution has a reporting structure in place so that people can alert admins and building managers to any concerns. Many older buildings may have water pipes above the ceilings in the stacks or other structural concerns that are hidden behind plaster. While newer buildings tend to have better environmental control measures in place, remember to be vigilant.

Access monitoring is often used in special collections, archives, and rare book reading rooms for a couple of purposes. One is to keep track of patrons, as well as other staff or special visitors, to these areas. A second reason for access monitoring is that some collections will suffer damage with other security measures, such as "property stamping" the fore-edge and other areas ("Jane Smith Public Library"), occurs. If you have a rare book, stamping, security stripping, barcoding, or placing an RFID tag on it damages its integrity. What many rare book librarians do is place the barcode or RFID on a book slip (like a book mark) cut from acid-free folders with basic info (author, title, call number). Such items are monitored carefully.

Similar to the fire drills that have been done in schools for decades, staff training should occur on occasion to ensure that all employees and volunteers are aware of threats to the collection and public safety. Vigilance takes place on many levels: protecting the collections is a top priority, but even more than that, keeping library patrons and staff are very important. Staff training may be coordinated by human resources, an in-house committee, or on a cooperative basis within a library consortium. As part of the onboarding process, all new employees and volunteers should be informed of basic procedures. Whenever the building is open, there should be at least one accountable employee who is the "go-to" person if a situation develops.

Do not assume that the local police (or campus police/safety on academic campuses) will be available at a moment's notice if you have security concerns. In both public and academic libraries, I was often in situations where I dealt with book destructions, thefts, trespassing, etc., and sometimes the response from law enforcement was to laugh about "someone wanting to steal a journal." My point is not to diminish the professional work of people in security and law enforcement who care, but to remind you that there are going to be times when they may not be available, or the one they send will be unhelpful or reluctant to listen fully to your concerns. This is an issue related to the larger institutional culture, but should not be ignored.

What ever system is in place, I still believe a flesh and blood Guard is the best, I have heard complaints before about cost, You pay a guy 16 bucks a hour, don't be surprised by what you get, Get a quality guard, make sure he is paid 25 bucks per hour, then you tell him we are taking care of you, you take care of us..I believe this is the best approach

é importante optar por solu??es que ofere?am monitoramento contínuo, controle de acesso restrito e tecnologias de preven??o de danos. Também, recomendo investir em treinamentos regulares para a equipe, visando conscientiza??o sobre a importancia da seguran?a, e atentar-se a necessidade da vigilancia em medidas de preven??o de incêndios e desastres naturais também s?o essenciais para assegurar a prote??o de nossa cole??o.