ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 159 Guidelines regarding thefts in libraries By the RBMS Security Committee William A. M offett, Chair The final version, approved by the A C R L Board of Directors in January 1988. T he “Guidelines Regarding Thefts in Libraries” have been developed by the ACRL Rare Rooks and Manuscripts Section’s Security Committee has de­ veloped over the past eight years. The Committee began in 1978 with an ad hoc charge to develop guidelines for the marking of rare materials so that they could be properly identified when recovered. First published in 1979, these were later made an appendix to the broader “Guidelines for the Secu­ rity of Rare Rook, Manuscript, and Other Special Collections,” published by ACRL in 1982, and cur­ rently under revision by the Committee (see draft in C&RL News, March 1982, p p .90-93). From 1983 to 1986 successive drafts of the guide­ lines were reviewed by the RBMS Security Com­ mittee. The general policies were further expanded to include guidelines for “W hat to do before a theft occurs”; a checklist of steps to follow when a theft is discovered, “W hat to do after a theft occurs”; and “Model legislation: Theft and m utilation of library m aterials,” which the Committee hopes libraries and ACRL Chapters will take to their state legisla­ tures to strengthen the laws for the prosecution and punishment of library thieves. A final draft was ap­ proved at ALA Annual Conference in 1986 and p u b lish e d in C & R L N e w s, N o v em b er 1986, p p .646-49. Open hearings were held at the ALA M idwinter Meeting in January 1987. No revisions or em endations were offered, so the guidelines were approved by the RBMS Executive Com m it­ tee, the ACRL Standards and Accreditation Com­ mittee, the ACRL Board of Directors, and the ALA Standards Committee (the latter two taking place at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in 1988). The RBMS Security Committee has emphasized two im portant points about these guidelines. First, the guidelines are interrelated and should be con­ sidered in conjunction with the previously pub­ lished guidelines as well. Second, the guidelines concern all library thefts, not just those which may occur in rare book, manuscript, and other special collections departm ents w ithin a library system. Some informal surveys over the past few years have shown th at these latter departm ents have stronger physical and procedural security systems in place than do their parent libraries for the general collec­ tions. Publicized thefts, furtherm ore, such as the James Shinn case, show th at thieves, rather than infiltrating established systems, instead pilfer from open stacks where rare materials acquired years before remain unidentified and unprotected. The C om m ittee itself conducted one inform al, geo­ graphic survey in 1982 among special collections li­ braries and found that most had security policies in place following the RBMS general guidelines or had developed parallel guidelines on their own. An ARL/Office of M anagement Studies survey in 1984 as p art of its SPEC Kit on “Collection Security in ARL Libraries” showed, however, th at only 32 % of the eighty-nine responding libraries had ap ­ 160 pointed a security officer and only 15 % had w rit­ ten security policies to follow. Perhaps it is time for ACRL and ALA to consider the serious problem of library thefts as a library­ wide issue rather than limiting the concern to rare books, manuscripts, and other special collections. The Rare Rooks and Manuscripts Section stands ready to develop and co-sponsor ACRL and ALA programs at annual conferences which will edu­ cate all librarians about the epidemic proportions of library thefts and the means to cope with them. Guidelines for what to do before a library theft occurs I. Library security officer Appoint a senior library staff member as Secu­ rity Officer who has delegated authority from the library and the institution to act on their behalf, working with the institution’s legal counsel and se­ curity force. II. Security planning group Form a group made up of the library Security Officer and other appropriate personnel to develop a specific plan of action to follow when a theft is discovered. III. Publicity Establish liaison with the institution’s public re­ lations office so th a t timely and accurate an ­ nouncements can be made to the press when a theft is discovered. IV. Law enforcement A. Establish contact w ith law enforcem ent agencies—in s titu tio n a l, local, sta te , a n d /o r federal—to determine who will be called and un­ der what circumstances. The library should main­ tain a list of contacts in each level of law enforce­ ment and discuss the plan of action with each. The value of materials or other circumstances will dic­ tate which law enforcement agency will handle the case; for example, the FBI may become involved if the dollar amount exceeds a minimum level, and the U.S. Customs may be involved if stolen items might be smuggled out of the country. B. Work with the library’s institutional adminis­ tration to insure support for the prosecution of thieves. This support may range from an active willingness to participate in the collection of evi­ dence to be turned over to the District Attorney or U.S. Attorney for further consideration, or it may involve direct participation in the prosecution by the institution. C. Work with appropriate institutional, local, and state groups to lobby for strengthening of state laws regarding library thefts and for diligent prose­ cution of such crimes. V. Other outside contacts A. Establish liaison with local rare book, m anu­ script, and second-hand dealers to inform them of the library’s collecting areas. Thieves sometimes try to sell stolen property quickly, and dealers with knowledge of the library’s collections can recog­ nize, or at least be suspicious of, materials they know the library collects which are offered to them. B. Report the name of the library’s Security Offi­ cer to the RBMS Security Committee and note changes. The RBMS Security Committee will com­ pile a list of the security officers annually. The list will be available from the ACRL office and will be forwarded to the Antiquarian Booksellers Associa­ tion of America (ABAA). C. Establish liaison with the national, online network, Bookline Alert/Missing Books and Manu­ scripts (BAMBAM) so that thefts can be reported immediately upon discovery. BAMBAM may be used not only to report missing books but also to check when materials are offered to the library. VI. Preventive measures in the library A. Implement the RBMS Guidelines for the Se­ curity of Rare Book, Manuscript, and Other Spe­ cial Collections (1982), available from the ACRL Office. B. C oordinate work in the library to assure proper ownership marks appear on the institution’s holdings, providing proof that materials, if stolen, belong to the library. The RBMS Security Commit­ tee urges the use of its marking guidelines (an ap­ pendix to the security guidelines mentioned above) for rare materials. The Committee also recom­ mends recording distinctive characteristics of indi­ vidual copies in cataloguing notes as another means of identifying appropriate items. C. Begin a process of reviewing materials in the library’s general collections and open stacks for consideration of transfer to Special Collections or to a caged, limited access area of the library. The RBMS T ransfer guidelines (C& RL N ew s, Ju ­ ly/August 1985, p p .349-52) will help the library identify candidates for transfer. Some libraries have identified rare materials in the open stacks in the course of projects, such as reporting to the Eighteenth Century Short Title Catalogue or working through a collection development policy using the Research Libraries Group Conspectus. While the task seems overwhelming for libraries large and small, the Committee recommends that libraries make a beginning. VII. Addresses The Security Committee, ACRL Rare Books & Manuscripts Section, ACRL/ALA, 50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611-2795. Daniel and Katherine Leab, BAMBAM, P.O. Box 1236, Washington, CT 06793; (212) 737-2715. Checklist of what to do after a theft occurs from a library I. Notification Notification of Security Officer and appropriate 161 library administrators upon suspicion that a theft has occurred. II. Discovery of theft The library’s collection of evidence of theft. • Evidence of intrusion connected with missing library materials. • Indication that patron or staff member has stolen books or manuscripts. • Apprehension of person(s) in act of theft. • Discovery of systematic pattern of loss. • Recovery of materials stolen from library. • Other evidence. III. Evaluation Security Officer’s evaluation of evidence with adm inistration, law enforcement personnel, li­ brary security group, and legal counsel as appro­ priate, and determination of action. IV. Actions • Notify Bookline Alert/Missing Books and Man­ uscripts (BAMBAM), and other appropriate net­ works. • Notify local booksellers, and appropriate spe­ cialist dealers. • Request action from law enforcement agen­ cies. Contacts: • Request action from legal authorities. Con­ tacts: V. Publicity • Security officer meets with adm inistration and public relations officer to plan appropriate publicity strategy. • Security officer or public relations officer pre­ pares news releases to alert staff and community to problem and action. • Security officer or public relations officer han­ dles inquiries from news media. VI. Security officer’s coordination of staff efforts • Compilation of inventories. • Arrangement for appraisals of loss or recovery. • Preparation of communications to staff about progress on case. • Maintenance of internal records of actions fol­ lowed during progress of case. Draft of model legislation: Theft and mutilation of library materials Declaration of purpose Because of the rising incidence of library theft and mutilation of library materials, libraries are suffering serious losses of books and other library property. In order to assure that research materials are available for public use, it is the policy of this state to provide libraries and their employees and agents with legal protection to ensure security for their collections. It is the policy of this state to af­ firm that local, state and federal prosecution of crimes affecting books or other library property is executed with the same degree of diligence as is ex­ ercised in prosecution of crimes affecting all other forms of property. Federal statute pertaining to stolen property is designed not only to implement federal-state co-operation in apprehending and punishing criminals who utilize, or cause to be uti­ lized, channels of interstate commerce for trans­ portation of property (in value of $5,000 or more) of which the owner has been wrongfully deprived, but also to deter original theft. Definition of terms “Library” means any public library; any library of an educational, benevolent, hereditary, histori­ cal or eleemosynary institution, organization or so­ ciety; any museum; any repository of public or in­ s titu tio n a l records. “ Book or o th e r lib ra ry property” means any book, plate, picture, photo­ graph, print, painting, drawing, map, newspaper, magazine, pamphlet, broadside, manuscript, doc­ ument, letter, public record, microform, sound re­ cording, audiovisual material in any format, mag­ netic or other tape, catalogue card or catalogue record, electronic data processing record, artifact, or other documentary, written or printed materi­ als, or equipment, regardless of physical form or characteristics, belonging to, on loan to, or other­ wise in the custody of a library. Proposed wording Section La.) Any person who willfully, mali­ ciously or wantonly writes upon, injures, defaces, tears, cuts, mutilates, or destroys any book or other library property belonging to, on loan to, or other­ wise in the custody of a library shall be guilty of a crime. Section Lb.) The willful concealment of a book or other library property upon the person or among the belongings of the person or concealed upon the person or among the belongings of another while still on the premises of a library shall be prima facie evidence of intent to commit larceny thereof. Section I.c.) The willful removal of a book or other library property in contravention of library regulations shall be prima facie evidence of intent to commit larceny thereof. Section I.d.) The willful alteration or destruc­ tion of library ownership records, electronic or cat­ alogue records retained apart from or applied di­ rectly to a book or other library property shall be prima facie evidence of intent to commit larceny of a book or other library property. Section II.a.) An adult agent or employee of a li­ brary who has reasonable grounds to believe that a person committed, was committing, or was a t­ tempting to commit the acts described in Section I may stop such person. Immediately upon stopping such person the library employee shall identify himself and state the reason for stopping the per­ son. If after the initial confrontation with the per­ son under suspicion, the adult agent or library em­ ployee has reasonable grounds to believe that at the time stopped the person committed, was commit­ 162 ting, or was attem pting to commit the crimes set forth in Section I, said employee or agent may de­ tain such person for a time sufficient to summon a peace officer to the library. In no case shall the de­ tention be for a period of more than one-half (V2) hour. Said detention must be accomplished in a reaso n ab le m a n n er w ith o u t u n reaso n ab le re ­ straints or excessive force, and may take place only on the premises of the library where the alleged crime occurred. Library premises includes the inte­ rior of a building, structure, or other enclosure in which a library facility is located, the exterior ap­ purtenances to such building, structure, or other enclosure, and the land on which such building, structure, or other enclosure is located. Any person so stopped by an employee or agent of a library shall prom ptly identify himself by nam e and ad­ dress. Once placed under detention, such person shall not be required to provide any other inform a­ tion nor shall any w ritten and/or signed statement be elicited from him until a peace officer has taken him into custody. The said employee or agent may, however, examine said property which the em­ ployee or agent has reasonable grounds to believe was unlawfully taken as set forth in Sections I.b and/or I.c. or injured or destroyed as set forth in Sections L a and/or I.d. Should the person detained refuse to surrender the item for examination, a lim ­ ited and reasonable search may be conducted. Only packages, shopping bags, handbags, or other property in the im mediate possession of the person detained, but not including any clothing worn by the person, may be searched. Section II.b.) For the purposes of Section II.a “reasonable grounds’’ shall include, but not be lim ­ ited to, knowledge th at a person has concealed or injured a book or other library property while on the premises of the library. Section II.c.) In detaining a person whom the employee or agent of the library has reasonable grounds to believe committed, was com mitting or was attem pting to commit any of the crimes set forth in Section I, the said employee or agent may use a reasonable am ount of nondeadly force when and only when such force is necessary to protect himself or to prevent the escape of the person being detained or the loss of the library’s property. Section III. An adult agent or employee of a li­ brary who stops, detains and/or causes the arrest of any person pursuant to Section II shall not be held civilly liable for false arrest, false imprisonment, unlawful detention, assault, battery, defamation of character, malicious prosecution or invasion of civil rights of the person stopped, detained and/or arrested, provided th at in stopping, detaining or causing the arrest of the person, the adult agent or employee had at the time of the stopping, detention or arrest reasonable grounds to believe th at the per­ son had committed, was committing, or was a t­ tem pting to commit any of the crimes set forth in Section I . Section IV. The fair m arket value of property af­ fected by crimes set forth in Section I determines the class of offense: value under $500 indicates a misdemeanor; $500-$5,000 a Class I felony; above $5,000 a Class II felony. The aggregate value of all property referred to in a single in d ic tm e n t shall c o n stitu te th e value thereof. Section V. A copy or abstract of this act shall be posted and prominently displayed in all libraries. Section VI. This act shall take effect upon pas­ sage. ■ ■ ACRL supports multi-type networking and LSCA re-authorization T he follow ing reso lu tio n , p re p a re d by th e ACRL Legislation Committee, was passed by the ACRL Board of Directors at the Midwinter Meet­ ing on January 12, 1988. WHEREAS, academic libraries and their infor­ mation resources are a key component of the infor­ mation infrastructure of the United States, and W HEREAS, academic libraries have worked cooperatively with public, school, business, medi­ cal, governmental, and private libraries to furnish statewide library and information services, and WHEREAS, in most states there are a num ber of regional resource sharing organizations and activi­ ties supported by LSCA Title III, in which the re­ source collections of academic libraries are needed, and WHEREAS, local, regional, and state union lists supported by LSCA create a database which bene­ fits as well as requires participation of academic li­ braries, and WHEREAS, many states use LSCA funds to pro­ mote access to nationwide bibliographic databases which benefit academic libraries, and WHEREAS, LSCA funds strongly interlibrary loan capabilities on which academic libraries de­ pend; now therefore be it RESOLVED, th at academic librarians continue to explore, create and p a rtic ip a te in netw orks which unite public, school, state and special li­ braries in coordinated efforts to serve the citizens of their states and work tow ard continued Federal support for these programs, AND, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, th at ac­ 163 ademic librarians express their strong support for re-authorization of the Library Services and Con­ struction Act, including Title III, as essential for the information flow vital for continued productiv­ ity, education, research and an informed popu­ lace. ■ ■ Bylaws of the College Libraries Section The latest revision, approved by the ACRL Board at the Midwinter Meeting. Article I. Name The name of this organization is the College Li braries Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries, a division of the American Li brary Association. Article II. Object The object of the Section shall be to advance col lege librarianship and encourage the developmen of lib ra ry services in b a c c a la u re a te d eg ree granting institutions. Article III. Membership Any member of the Association of College and Research Libraries may elect membership in thi Section. Article IV. Officers Sec. 1. Officers. The officers of the Section shal be a chair, a vice-chair/chair-elect, and a secre tary. Sec. 2. Terms. The chair shall serve as such fo one year. The chair-elect shall serve for one year a vice-chair. At the expiration of that term, or upon the occurrence of an earlier vacancy, the vice chair/chair-elect shall succeed to the office o chair. The secretary serves for one year. All officer and members of the Executive Committee begi their terms with the adjournment of the annua conference. Article V. Executive Committee ­ Sec. 1. Composition. The Executive Committee shall consist of the officers, the immediate past ­ chair, the past secretary, and two members-at- large. The members-at-large shall serve overlap­ ping two-year terms, with one member elected each year. The Executive Director of the Associa­ tion of College and Research Libraries shall be an ­ ex-officio member, without vote. t Sec. 2. Meetings. Regular meetings of the Execu­ ­ tive Committee are to be held at times and places of the annual and mid-winter meetings of the Ameri­ can Library Association. Special meetings may be called at the discretion of the chair. All regular meetings of the Committee shall be open to all members of the Section. s Sec. 3. Powers and duties. The main function of the Executive Committee shall be to provide direc­ tion for the Section. The Committee has authoritv over the affairs of the Section during the period be­ tween meetings of the Section, subject to review by l the members of the section.­ Sec. 4. Quorum. A majority of members consti­ tutes a quorum at any meeting of the Executive r Committee.s Article VI. Committees - f Sec. 1. Authorization. Committees of the Sec­ s tion shall be established by action of the chair after n consultation with the Executive Committee. l Sec. 2. Standing Committees. Standing commit­ tees may be established to consider matters of the