3 messages: 1)-------------------------------- -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: Stolen magazines -- Dani Lichtenberg Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 14:36:46 -0500 From: "Skwor, Jeanette" <skworj@UWGB.EDU> ***While it's true that security strips don't always cause the alarm to go off, I think they do provide a deterrent just because people who are wont to take library materials home know they have to get past them. ***Publicity is also good. Can you get the local paper to do an article on the problem and the ramifications of the loss (costs of replacement, not having full volumes in the collection, etc)? ***Are the journals well stamped or marked so that it is obvious they belong to you, and will the thief need to remove the front cover or more to disguise that fact? You may want to invest in a large stamp, and stamp them twice, both on the cover and on the first page, or contents page. ***Good luck, Jeanette L. Skwor Email:skworj@uwgb.edu Serials Dept., Cofrin Library Phone: (920)465-2670 University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Fax: (920)465-2783 Green Bay, WI 54311-7001 2)--------------------------------- -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: Stolen magazines -- 2 messages Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 16:08:57 -0400 From: "Julie M. Smith" <SMITH_JU@tlc.lib.oh.us> Dani: The Business Department's periodical arrangement is open stacks for the current year, specific issues from earlier years have to be requested from the closed stacks. We do a combination of things, security wise. Special issues/high risk items are security stripped. A lot of special issues are kept in the office, too. If we notice something is disappearing on a regular basis, we put it in the office. Most of the items in the office we hold id or something of value while the person looks at it. Frequently, people ask us why we do keep things in the office and take id. Most of us have no qualms telling them it is due to theft and, man, are people shocked that someone would actually steal from a library! Any anger or frustration the person feels about leaving id or having to ask for an item usually dissapates once they realize by taking precautions the item is there for them to use. By the way, I once wished the person(s) swiping one of our investment newsletters would have horrible financial trouble. Amazingly enough, two weeks later all issues were returned. Hope this helps! Julie M. Smith Librarian Business Dept. Toledo-Lucas County Public Library smith_ju@tlc.lib.oh.us 3)--------------------------- -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: Stolen magazines -- Dani Lichtenberg Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 16:50:58 -0400 From: Sherry Petry <spetry@ce1.af.public.lib.ga.us> We keep a handful of current issues at the front desk which we deem at highest risk and we take patron ID for their use. We used to keep even more current issues at the desk, but the time consumed in taking and giving back ID's kept us from doing other things (time that we now use to fill paper trays and restart frozen terminals -- ha!), so many current issues are just thrown to the wolves so to speak. We know they will disappear when they go out, but we don't have the security personnel, the technology in place or the library staff to prevent the theft. We do have a contract to receive core titles prebound. When that company produces as they promise, the Times, Newsweeks, etc are on the shelf bound within a few weeks, well, months. Sherry Petry spetry@af.public.lib.ga.us Periodicals Department 404-730-1917 Atlanta-Fulton Public Library 1 Margaret Mitchell Sq. Atlanta, GA 30303 > -------- Original Message -------- > Subject: Stolen magazines > Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 12:30:29 -0400 > From: Dani Lichtenberg <p005386b@pb.seflin.org> > > > Here's an age old problem that has recently reared its ugly head. We > are > experiencing a rash of stolen magazines and journals. Our > collection is > housed on open shelving, with the magazines placed in plastic binders. > We just keep the current issues on this shelving, and the > older volumes > behind the service desk. Just about the time school started > back in, we > were finding that someone was taking magazines out of the binders and > stealing them. Usually they just put the empty binders back on the > shelves. There was a flurry of this activity, and then just > one or two > per week. We have tried to keep ever more vigilant but it is > difficult > to keep an eye on everything at every moment. We posted a large sign, > explaining that this kind of theft was a crime. This slowed > things down > a bit more. But recently the thefts are on the rise again. > Four stolen > on Saturday. I would guess that we have had twenty or more issues > stolen > since the beginning of September. > > What do other libraries do about this? Particularly public libraries. > We don't security strip every issue, and in fact we conducted > experiments > testing the success of the security strips and found that they do not > always trigger the alarm, anyway. Depends on if you have the magazine > deep inside a backpack, held low, held high, etc. Beyond posting a > "plainclothes" employee in the reading area to watch everyone's every > move, I am at a loss on how to combat this problem. Does anyone have > any > helpful tips? > > > Dani Lichtenberg > Serials Supervisor > Palm Beach County Library System > p005386b@pb.seflin.org >
