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Security for Small Museums
 
Careful hiring practices Control of keys Panic pendants Window covers Door locks Video cameras and dummies On site staff during off hours
Displacement Replicas props Cases Security mounts Visitor safeguards Barriers Motion detectors

Lighting
 

Security systems are part of a larger framework for preservation of museum collections that includes risk assessment for fire, water damage, insects, vermin, or mould, contaminants ( chemical, ) radiation, ( ultraviolet and visible light, ) temperature, and relative humidity. The Canadian Conservation Institute CCI has produced a simple preservation framework chart to greatly aid risk assessment and management and is available on line.
http://www.cci-icc.gc.ca/tools/framework/index_e.aspx?content=framework

Risks in the category of thieves and vandals, are increasingly a small museum / gallery security issue. Thieves are concern for small museums because museum objects have increasingly higher values, their existence, location and security measures can be well known, that is, a would be thief can easily take a museum tour and plan a theft carefully. If an object is stolen the loss is total. Vandals tend to attack high profile or noticeable items, and can inflict severe or total damage. Staff through improper or absent collections management systems can misplace objects.

To prevent theft many small museums can choose from a number of options of various types for different kinds of protection during open hours or hours when the museum is closed.
Most security systems are developed to help prevent theft and a few to protect staff. Security companies can provide 24 hour monitoring for a fee. Not all security companies are reputable or responsive and so it is important to request and check out references. A small museum may also install a highly visible system to deter petty thieves and vandals.
As ever the small museum must balance needs with budget and careful assessment of effectiveness when security systems are being considered.
In all, preventative measures are preferred to after the fact recovery, if any.

Electronic security systems are worth their initial expense, because of their theft deterrence. Still, it is important to develop a security plan that includes careful hiring practices, the control of keys, exhibiting smaller artifacts in locked cases, inventory control, training staff and volunteers in handling theft as well as good collection management procedures and resources.
 

Careful hiring practices:
Be sure to hire reputable properly trained staff and do criminal back ground checks.

Control of keys:
Arrange to have keys secured where only staff who need entry can access them.

Panic pendants:
Some historic sites are more remote than others and may not provide security protection for staff. The pendants are worn around an employee's neck, if a problem occurs, the employee pushes the button on the pendant. A sensor sets off an alarm at the security company's monitoring station, which in turn notifies the police.

Window covers:
In some cases where vandalism to buildings or forced entry is a concern properly installing plexi glass window screens can prevent entry and vandalism to windows. 
Plexi glass covers for windows can be unobtrusive,( when properly installed ) block harmful uv radiation, aid in climate control and are very difficult to break. Very useful for the remote or seasonal museum.

Door locks:
Key lock rather than latch doors or dead bolts are useful, but require fire inspection approval. Visitors must have unlocked marked emergency exits. Dead bolt or latch doors can be unlocked by a visitor during a tour who might then return later to gain entry and so every day a " lock up" routine to check all doors and windows must be followed. A check list can be printed up for employees to follow to insure no window or door is missed.

Video cameras and dummies:
The monitor is connected to a video monitoring ( 24 hour, time lapse VCR ) the museum has seven videotapes, representing each day of the week, to record 24 hours of activity. 
These tapes can be archived or taped over. When a security breach is detected, the tape can be set aside until the problem is solved. It is important to purchase new tapes every six months so that the tapes are always in good condition.  Insure time and date stamp features are part of your system. This establishes that a person was in the museum at the time and date shown on the video and may aid in recovery of stolen property. Dummy cameras ( no actual video footage ) are sometimes employed to deter would be thieves and several types are available.

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On site staff during off hours:
The best solution to off hour security problems is to have staff on site 24 hours.
For a fee security companies will do spot checks.

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Motion detectors:
Useful to alert staff of intrusions in exhibit area. The sensor detects motion behind barriers and sets off a sonic alarm staff can respond to. Not useful if no one is present during off hours or taped tours. Change all alarm codes annually.

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Barriers:
When carefully designed barriers improve traffic flow and security for exhibits. This method has proven usefulness in several small museums. Care must be taken to insure each barrier is a sufficient height ( 40 inches or more ) to prevent persons climbing over into exhibit areas. Additionally suitable period design solutions must be sought to insure barriers do not detract form visitor experience and the appearance of the exhibits. Wood framed plexi glass is strong yet allows full visibility and wood can be worked to any desirable period style. Insure all barriers can be locked.

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Visitor safeguards:
Prohibit visitors from carrying coats, packages, backpacks and other articles into exhibit areas. Coat racks and baggage shelves are useful.

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Security mounts:
Properly mounted artifacts are more secure from theft and earthquake damage.
Mounting artifacts should be undertaken only by trained professional staff or contractors.
Several commercially available security mount systems exists that have been designed for a single type of security application. Some systems can include electronic monitoring either in house or by security companies.  None of these systems was designed with artifact material in mind and most are invasive. No universal system exists and each artifact will have special specific considerations taken into account before mounting can be done.
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Cases:
Locked display cases usually provide trouble free security. Keys can be secured in a locked area.

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Replicas props:
Where public access is unavoidable props and replicas can be used and more aggressively secured provided no artifact material is involved. Again trained professional help should be sought to install props or replicas.

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Displacement:
Displacement is a problem if artifacts are misplaced within the museum in storage and exhibit areas by staff members . If an artifact has been misplaced and can't be found, the effect is similar to theft. Adequate collection management, artifact tracking and proper storage are as important or more to museum's security as alarms systems might be.

Lighting:

External night time lighting is recomended and some "rotate"  intermnal lighting after hours to create the impression of evening work being done.

Additionally digitization is a good preemptive security measure. Theft from museums and galleries has increased in recent years as values of artifacts have increased and without good portable photographic records retrieval is greatly hindered.
First, once an object is stolen it is no longer possible to photograph it. Description then is only verbal or written. Having a digital record in advance just makes good sense.

Images as .jpg or .pdf can be sent by e mail quickly to law enforcement agencies and antique or second hand dealers who in turn can advise a museum when stolen property appears in the market place. Even better, collection images stored on line can be accessed by accession number and quickly retrieved from a data base.  A web site of know "missing" art and artifacts could be created to allow easy "look up" for dealers, collectors, other museums and police and jointly funded by stake holders.
Another good idea.

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