There are several tactics that are being promoted to halt the flow of Administrative
Losses for museums. Most of these measures are common to many industries that have valuable inventories,
but have been tailored to the specific needs of museums.
First and foremost, museums should develop and maintain a complete inventory of their artifacts, conducting regular physical inventories based upon the valuation of the items. Those items that are in the top 10% - 15% should be inventoried on a daily basis; those in the next 15% should be counted weekly, the next 25% counted monthly or quarterly and the remainder of the objects should be inventoried annually. Responsibilities for counting objects should be randomly rotated among employees so that no one can predict who will be counting which group of items.
Museums should implement strict access controls to storage areas, including keeping appropriate doors locked, creating sign in and out logs for personnel access and prohibiting storage areas from being used as work areas.
Install and properly configure access
controls, intrusion detection and digital video surveillance systems such as those available from
FocusMicro, Inc. Cost effective and reliable, these technology based solutions will pay for themselves
quickly when employees and visitors understand that no action will go undetected or unrecorded. Insure
also that these systems are integrated not only with each other, but with any other existing technology
based systems such as RF asset tracking and smoke detection / fire alarms. Integrated systems produce
a high level of synergistic data, far outstripping the capabilities of the sum of the individual systems.
Institutions must also become consistent and thorough in the application of personnel policies. Performing candidate criminal and employment background checks, having employees sign-off on code of conduct policies and implementing parcel and baggage checks for all personnel entering and leaving the premises are all solutions to reduce the incidence of Administrative Losses. Most importantly in personnel policies, prohibit anyone from being exempt from any policy due to rank, seniority, VIP status or job function. Consistency is the primary watchword.
Reducing museum losses from external and internal theft, as well as from Administrative sources (i.e., unexplained internal theft) requires a comprehensive security program that is professionally developed, implemented and staffed. One of the pitfalls that museums are prone to is their reliance solely upon their own internal resources for security program development and evaluation. Every museum across the country, both large and small will benefit from use of an outside security consulting firm such as FocusMicro, Inc. when determining or auditing an institution’s security program.
Every museum should have a written security program. This complex document should be an exhaustive detailing of every element, policy and procedure pursuant to the security of the institution. Museums should perform a comprehensive review of this document and its actual implementation and effectiveness on an annual basis, utilizing the resources of an outside security consulting organization such as FocusMicro, Inc. FocusMicro employs seasoned security consultants who can help guide museums in state-of-the-art security strategies and tactics.
