Classic N10-4 WC blog 104
Library Security-4
Don’t Let Lax Library Security Lead To Lost Treasures – Invest In The Classic N10
As a library employee I can attest to the fact that people steal from libraries. I have seen people attempt to steal DVD’s, and “accidentally” start to walk out of the building with library books in backpacks. I have also had patrons start to walk out of the library, set off the RFID alarm antenna and hurry back into the library, then leave and NOT set off the alarm. Unfortunately, in those situations, we work in a large library so we can’t always follow where the person goes to dump the property that sets off the alarm. Now, imagine the problem of library security and protecting all library resources, including special collections. These are books often kept in controlled rooms. Simply having electronic article surveillance antennas at the front doors of the library may not be sufficient to prevent the theft of these books. The Checkpoint Classic N10 antenna at the entrance to the room can substantially reduce risk of theft of expensive and rare books.
Why would the Classic N10 antenna be a perfect choice for protecting special collection rooms? If these books are protected with electronic article surveillance tags, should someone conceal a book and attempt to leave the room the Classic N10 antenna will detect the items. Library staff would have the opportunity to respond to the alarm and recover the materials before the thief could get away. The antenna takes up little space so it can be comfortably placed in the doorway of a special collection room.
Do you doubt that theft from libraries is an issue? Don’t take my word for it, here are some examples of actual reported thefts:
– From wfmz.com, posted November 30, 2014, “Eleven books in a rare and valuable collection have been stolen from the Berks County Public Library System”.
– nydailynews.com, posted April 25, 2015, “The feds are investigating the theft of eight priceless books from the New York Public Library, including one written by Benjamin Franklin.”
– According to civilwarnews.com, “…hundreds of items including Civil War books and pamphlets, were discovered missing” from the Vermont Department of Libraries.
– ithacajournal.com, September 20, 2014, “Staff at Cornell University’s Kroch Library reported to police that 142 rare books were reportedly stolen”.
Rare, priceless, valuable, all descriptions used for books that may never be recovered for the public again. Certainly library security includes protecting items of lesser value, compact discs, magazines, paperback and hardback books. Public libraries often operate on very thin budgets and trying to replace stolen materials is burdensome. According to the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) in a Fiscal Year 2012 State Libraries Administrative Agencies (SLAA) Survey, published in May, 2014, page 31, “In FY 2012, revenues to SLAAs totaled nearly $1 billion dollars across federal, state and other revenue sources, which represents a 27 percent decrease in revenue from FY 2003 and a 12 percent decrease from FY 2010.” According to the American Library Association (ALA) the total number of public central and branch library buildings in the U.S. was 16,536 in FY 2012. This number does not include school, academic, special, armed forces and government libraries.
Many of the services offered by libraries today include technology, such as computers and internet. Ebooks, Interlibrary loans, and maintaining social media and web pages also compete for the budgetary resources of libraries. New book purchases become difficult and replacement of stolen books becomes almost prohibitive. Protecting those resources already owned by a library is absolutely necessary, especially special collections. Library security is more important than ever to prevent the pilfering of materials.
If your library already uses electronic article surveillance as part of a comprehensive library security program, consider supplementing that security with a Checkpoint Classic N10 antenna in special archive rooms. If EAS is not part of your strategy, consider the benefit an EAS antenna could provide for you.
For more information on the Classic N10, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
As a library employee I can attest to the fact that people steal from libraries. I have seen people attempt to steal DVD’s, and “accidentally” start to walk out of the building with library books in backpacks. I have also had patrons start to walk out of the library, set off the RFID alarm antenna and hurry back into the library, then leave and NOT set off the alarm. Unfortunately, in those situations, we work in a large library so we can’t always follow where the person goes to dump the property that sets off the alarm. Now, imagine the problem of library security and protecting all library resources, including special collections. These are books often kept in controlled rooms. Simply having electronic article surveillance antennas at the front doors of the library may not be sufficient to prevent the theft of these books. The Checkpoint Classic N10 antenna at the entrance to the room can substantially reduce risk of theft of expensive and rare books.
Why would the Classic N10 antenna be a perfect choice for protecting special collection rooms? If these books are protected with electronic article surveillance tags, should someone conceal a book and attempt to leave the room the Classic N10 antenna will detect the items. Library staff would have the opportunity to respond to the alarm and recover the materials before the thief could get away. The antenna takes up little space so it can be comfortably placed in the doorway of a special collection room.
Do you doubt that theft from libraries is an issue? Don’t take my word for it, here are some examples of actual reported thefts:
– From wfmz.com, posted November 30, 2014, “Eleven books in a rare and valuable collection have been stolen from the Berks County Public Library System”.
– nydailynews.com, posted April 25, 2015, “The feds are investigating the theft of eight priceless books from the New York Public Library, including one written by Benjamin Franklin.”
– According to civilwarnews.com, “…hundreds of items including Civil War books and pamphlets, were discovered missing” from the Vermont Department of Libraries.
– ithacajournal.com, September 20, 2014, “Staff at Cornell University’s Kroch Library reported to police that 142 rare books were reportedly stolen”.
Rare, priceless, valuable, all descriptions used for books that may never be recovered for the public again. Certainly library security includes protecting items of lesser value, compact discs, magazines, paperback and hardback books. Public libraries often operate on very thin budgets and trying to replace stolen materials is burdensome. According to the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) in a Fiscal Year 2012 State Libraries Administrative Agencies (SLAA) Survey, published in May, 2014, page 31, “In FY 2012, revenues to SLAAs totaled nearly $1 billion dollars across federal, state and other revenue sources, which represents a 27 percent decrease in revenue from FY 2003 and a 12 percent decrease from FY 2010.” According to the American Library Association (ALA) the total number of public central and branch library buildings in the U.S. was 16,536 in FY 2012. This number does not include school, academic, special, armed forces and government libraries.
Many of the services offered by libraries today include technology, such as computers and internet. Ebooks, Interlibrary loans, and maintaining social media and web pages also compete for the budgetary resources of libraries. New book purchases become difficult and replacement of stolen books becomes almost prohibitive. Protecting those resources already owned by a library is absolutely necessary, especially special collections. Library security is more important than ever to prevent the pilfering of materials.
If your library already uses electronic article surveillance as part of a comprehensive library security program, consider supplementing that security with a Checkpoint Classic N10 antenna in special archive rooms. If EAS is not part of your strategy, consider the benefit an EAS antenna could provide for you.
For more information on the Classic N10, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
