Why an issue devoted to library security? While there are no reliable statistics on the losses libraries incur as the result of breaches of security by library staff and patrons, the annual cost may well be in the tens-of-millions of dollars. Anecdotal evidence suggests that libraries lose as much as 3 percent of their book collections each year–a figure which, if correct, is even greater than the annual rate of loss reported by retailers. There also are losses of equipment and supplies, and damage to computer systems which cost libraries additional millions. While there is a perception on the part of many that people who patron libraries are more honest than the population as a whole, the loss rates reported by libraries suggest that readers and bibliophiles are as prone to engage in theft and other malicious acts as those who shop at Wal-Mart and Home Depot or fly on commercial airlines. According to a comprehensive national retail industry study released in September 1996 by the Security Research Project at the University of Florida, staff are as likely as customers to breach an employer’s security. The study concluded that retailers lost $27 billion, or 1.87 percent of their total 1995 annual sales to theft or fraud. Employee theft accounted for more than 38 percent of losses; customer theft accounted for just under 36 percent. The rest of the losses resulted from administrative error and vendor theft. [The report is available from Sensormatic Electronics Corporation at 800-368-7262.] Again, libraries are not immune to loses from internal theft, which was stressed in a program at the American Library Association’s Annual Meeting in 1998. The program, “Who’s Minding the Store? Insider Theft in Libraries,” featured a panel of security personnel from four libraries and a professional security consultant. The consensus among panel members was that the non-return of materials by patrons resulted in losses only slightly greater than those from internal theft. Computer crimes–a minor problem four years ago–are now a major concern. A recent survey conducted by the FBI, and used by it when consulting with U.S. corporations and organizations, determined that 88 percent of 520 survey participants had experienced computer crimes which resulted in loss of time and money. Each library administrator must decide on how to balance securing a library and maintaining a pleasant atmosphere for library staff and patrons. This issue of LTR describes products which address various aspects of security. The author’s own bias is to protect the collections and the database, and to be somewhat more relaxed about other aspects of security, but he has never worked in an institution with a serious security problem. However, he has been a consultant to scores of libraries that have become accustomed to finding their missing equipment at local flea markets. Given the author’s bias, the emphasis in this report is on theft detection systems which protect collections, and firewalls and anti-virus products which protect library databases. Chapter I discusses security policy; Chapter II deals with staff and patron identification cards; Chapter III describes theft detection systems; Chapter IV discusses RF tracking systems and other ancillary products which work with theft detection systems; Chapter V describes firewalls to protect computer systems and networks; Chapter VI deals with viruses, a topic which has become increasingly important as the Internet becomes a major passage for harmful programs; Chapter VII describes physical devices which can be used to secure library facilities and equipment, and Chapter VIII provides an overview of administrative tools, a type of software that can protect library equipment. I. SECURITY POLICIES Security is not just about the purchase of security hardware and software, it also involves the development of a security policy which addresses all aspects of protecting a library facility, collections, equipment and supplies, and the people in the library.
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