Libraries lend out hundreds of thousands of items each year. But how do libraries prevent theft? Here’s how.
Surveillance Tags
Libraries install surveillance tags inside each item they lend out. This includes books, DVDs, CDs and any other lendable items. These tags may look like barcodes or squares of plain plastic. Each tag has a unique number attached to it.
Check Out
Upon check out, a librarian deactivates the tag using a scanner at the register. The tag is now deactivated and the item can leave the building without an issue.
Surveillance Alarms
In addition to the tags inside each item, libraries install electronic article surveillance alarms on either side of the front door. These pieces of equipment scan for any activated surveillance tags that pass through. When this happens, the alarms will sound so employees can know that an item has not been accounted for in the checkout process.
Security Guards
Some libraries employ security guards to monitor the patrons as they exit the building. This may be especially true in metropolitan libraries where there is a high volume of patrons coming and going.
Thefts of items at libraries deprive everybody of the right to access information. For this reason, it is important that libraries have anti-theft measures in place.
