Comments on: Library security gates: why you should save money by not using them

By: Ioanna

Ioanna — Wed, 19 Feb 2020 13:41:15 +0000

We are the only multilingual library in Athens. Most of our collection comes from donations. But some books we bought and shipped to Greece from Afghanistan, Iran, Lebanon, Jordan etc so that the refugees hosted in our city can find books in their languages. In total, those are approximately 1,000 books which we cannot afford to lose as we can’t replace them. That is why we were thinking of getting a security gate for our little library, but after reading your article I don’t know if we should. First of all, it will be expensive and secondly, it might make people feel less welcome. The last thing we want is to make refugees feel we expect them to steal! I really don’t know what to do. We have a 1,000 euro grant to use on library equipment and we were thinking of using it towards buying a security system. I realise that is ridiculously low, but we are an NGO, we are all volunteers, most of the money we get is from crowdfunding campaigns and none of us are librarians. Is it worth it?

By: John Usher

John Usher — Thu, 04 Dec 2014 12:42:56 +0000

Ian.

Just about sums it up!

I started working in a large library with RF security, for all items (loan or reference) with physical turnstiles (probably not allowable today by the ‘Elven Safe-Tie’ brigade today)and manual bypass 38 years ago. It wasn;t great and it wasn’t secure, for the reasons you state.,

Then EM systems – even more ‘leaky’!

IMO, despite Marvin’s view (Hi Marvin – sorry!), I don’t think we’ve really moved on.

The only practical issues I raise would be the library design behind the security systems – if greater security is required, closed access is needed, and who does that these days to any really extent, in a public library? – or retail (jewellers?). And that costs!

And that affects building design, layout design – and staffing requirements.

Them Mick raises the issue of security tags off or on in different parts of a building and false alarms. So can we have ‘smart security’ with different encodings for different parts of a building, and a separate encoding for final exit points? for different library services?

Then EAS vs AFI… Retail vs Libraries..

And if we can’t tie security switching *absolutely* to all points of circulation – kiosks, counters, handhelds, whoever does it (users or staff), it falls apart…

It all gets very complex – and expensive.

Then there is all the legitimately loaned stuff which never comes back – but that is another matter entirely!

Ho Hum!

Regards, JU

By: Saad Azzahri

Saad Azzahri — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 11:42:21 +0000

It is interesting that we still discuss such a subject.
I remember that I was working for the Central Library of King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 25 years back, when CL decided to buy a security system for about $100,000. !!
An Old man, who was the gate security man, said to me: son, dedicate a quarter of this money to me and I swear no one would steal any book.!

However, such a thinking will not please private sector which produces those systems!!

By: Steven Heywood

Steven Heywood — Sun, 16 Nov 2014 16:37:24 +0000

Well said, Ian.

Too often the rationale for the security gate is staff’s distrust of the customer, especially when self-service operations are being installed. The answer to “If we’re going self-service, what’s to stop people just walking out with the stock?” is: “The same thing that had them come over and queue at the counter instead of just waltzing off with the stock.”

We had security gates in our old central library in Rochdale. They didn’t work for ten years, everyone knew, there was no demonstrable increase in the loss of stock.

By: Mick Fortune

Mick Fortune — Sun, 16 Nov 2014 10:59:08 +0000

As Marvin suggests this is an area of concern that needs to be carefully considered – as I said, I always ask clients why they want security gates, but then I used to ask them why they wanted RFID as well. I used to think that people should make decisions based on research and genuine need rather than fashionability and keeping up with the Joneses. But that was when the RFID market more closely resembled the Wild West and these days, thanks in significant part to the efforts of Marvin and other suppliers RFID is a much wiser investment than it used to be and now that it has been freed from the shackles of SIP and self service circulation it may yet prove to have been the best accidental investment libraries have ever made as new ways of interacting directly with physical and virtual resources simultaneously come onto the market – using smartphones and tablets for this purpose?
The figure of £15000 is certainly far more than the average price of a pair of gates these days but it would not be unusual for a library to spend that kind of money on gates in the average RFID procurement for a major branch. The point is to do the sums. Cost of replacement vs cost of deterrence. Remembering that not everything can be replaced.
The question of false alarms is a matter of perception. If implemented according to the standards there should be no false alarms but it rather depends on what others have done- not just your own library. Many RFID installations – in libraries as well as elsewhere have not always followed standards. Only this week I was asked to help out with RFID systems being used to track cows on a farm. The company providing the software solution – on their own admission – knew nothing about RFID, resulting in ‘false’ alarms as competing RFID solutions picked up the tags.

By: Margin Crisp

Margin Crisp — Sun, 16 Nov 2014 10:09:09 +0000

I have been in the library security business for over 30 years and over that time many things have changed. Technology as moved forward and I would just like to advice the readers that most systems are around £4,000 and not £15,000 as stated. The systems can also be installed on double doors with no antenna in the middle giving easy access to the public. With an RFID security the staff also get information on the item/s that have alarmed the system, including the title. they also do not false alarm. I would also like to add that all security systems work as a deterrent, they also indicate that libraries are proud of there collections and they have a high value to the staff and users of the library.
Over the years I have seen many libraries try solutions like Mick has suggested, but the reality is that people stealing from libraries know very quickly if something is real or fake. So if you want to keep the collection you need to protect it.

By: Mick Fortune

Mick Fortune — Sat, 15 Nov 2014 20:11:13 +0000

…and while you’re about it weigh up the cost of protecting CDs and DVDs against replacing lost items or switching to digital.

I know many libraries that switch the gates off but often it’s a higher power that insists on having them. I have often suggested that the most effective way to secure the collection might be to make a very public announcement that the library is trialling a new system. Then stage a series of ‘busts’ at the busiest time of day (maybe enlist an AmDram society to help). Word will get around.

But no-one takes me seriously and of course there are some benefits from having RFID gates even if you don’t pursue miscreants (well not the quick or the potentially pugilistic) . At least the gates will tell you what’s been stolen so you’ll know what to replace.