RBMS Security Committee

Library and Archival Security Resources Directory

Note: These resources are provided as a public service and no endorsement of any products or services by ALA or any of its affiliates is implied.

Readers are invited to send notices for possible inclusion on the list to the page editor, Nicolette Dobrowolski.

Section I: Publications:

Association of College and Research Libraries. Guidelines for the Security of Rare Book, Manuscript, and other Special Collections. Originally published in C&RL News, October, 1999, this revision of these Guidelines was approved by the RBMS Security Committee and the RBMS Executive Committee at the ALA Midwinter meeting in San Antonio, January 23, 2006. [February 1, 2006]. Posted on the RBMS website: http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/securityrarebooks.cfm

ACRL Code of Ethics for Special Collections Librarians; supersedes ACRL Standards for Ethical Conduct for Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Libraries and Librarians, with Guidelines for Institutional Practice in Support of the Standards, 2nd edition, 1994. Posted on the RBMS website: http://www.rbms.info/standards/code_of_ethics.shtml

Association of College and Research Libraries. Guidelines on the Selection of General Collection Materials for Transfer to Special Collections. In: C&RL News 54:11 (December 1993; revised on 23 June 1999 and again in 2008) http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/selectransfer.cfm.

Association of College & Research Libraries. Guidelines Regarding Thefts in Libraries. 1994. Posted on the RBMS website: http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/guidelinesregardingthefts.cfm

Association of College & Research Libraries. Guidelines for the Interlibrary Loan of Rare and Unique Materials. Final version, approved by ACRL at ALA Annual Meeting, Orlando, 2004; published in C&RL News 65:9, October 2004, pp. 544-547. Former draft version published in C&RL News 54:5, May 1993; Approved February 1994; draft revision published in C&RL News 65:5, May 2004. Posted on the RBMS website: http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/rareguidelines.cfm

Association of College and Research Libraries. Guidelines for Borrowing and Lending Special Collections Materials for Exhibition. [Published in C&RL News 51:5, May 1990.] Currently under revision by the RBMS Task Force Committee on the Loan of Special Collections Materials for Exhibition; note: Security, Theft, and Exhibition Loan Guidelines were endorsed by the SAA Council on 30 January 1993; note: draft revision published in C&RL News 65:8, September 2004. Posted on the RBMS website: http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/borrowguide.cfm

Society of American Archivists. Libraries and Archives: An Overview of Risk and Loss Prevention (1994)

Society of American Archivists. Protecting Your Collections: A Manual of Archival Security (1995).

American Library Association Map and Geography Round Table. Map Collection Security Guidelines Current draft (2007) at: http://www.ala.org/ala/magert/MapSecurityGuidelines2007.pdf

Thefts of Early Maps and Books. http://www.maphistory.info/thefts.html

Section II: Other Resources:

International Association of Professional Security Consultants
http://www.iapsc.org/ . Tel: 949-640-9918; fax 949-640-9911.
Includes listing of professional security consultants with varying areas of expertise. Members of the organization cannot sell anything or represent any security firm.

Archives and Security Bibliography (Draft)
http://www.archives.gov/research/alic/reference/archives-resources/security.html
This document, dated 6/27/02, is attributed to Nicole Gordon of the Office of Regional Records Services. The page is contained within the website for the Archives Library Information Center (http://www.archives.gov/research/alic/), and is part of NARA (http://www.archives.gov/).

ACRL/RBMS Security Committee.
http://www.rbms.info/committees/security/index/shtml
Current chair: Richard Oram roram@mail.utexas.edu

Exlibris electronic discussion list: exlibris@library.berkeley.edu
Electronic discussion list open to subscribers only, but subscription open to all. Has extensive web archives that include security topics available at http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/. For further information, contact moderator
Everett Wilkie at: ewilkie@ix.netcom.com.

Archives & Archivists Electronic Discussion list.
Often includes discussions about library security. Archives are available at the host site. Address for posting is archives@listserv.muohio.edu. Subscription address is listserv@listserv.muohio.edu.

Federal Bureau of Investigation, Art Theft Program. http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cid/arttheft/arttheft.htm

Los Angeles Police Dept. Art Theft Detail. http://www.lapdonline.org/art_theft_detail

Saving Antiquities for Everyone (SAFE). Sponsors occasional conferences on stolen rare books. http://www.savingantiquities.org/

The Association for Research into Crimes against Art (ARCA), www.artcrime.info.
ARCA is a non-profit organization that studies issues in art crime and consults on art protection or recovery issues brought to them by police, governments, museums, places of worship, and other public institutions. They are offering a new Masters Program in Art Crime Studies.

Section III: Secret Marking Technology:

For more information about several of the currently available secret marking technologies, see the following web sites.

Microembossers: http://www.microstampusa.com/

Microtaggants: http://www.microtracesolutions.com/915.htm

Microdots: http://www.datadotdna.com/

Section IV: Addresses for Reporting Thefts:

Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America, 20 West 44th St., 4th floor, New York, NY 10035-6604. 212-944-8291; (fax) 212-944-8293; email: hq@abaa.com. The ABAA circulates reports of thefts through its listserv and maintains a stolen books database with a report form at http://www.abaa.org/books/abaa/databases/stolen_search.html

ACRL/RBMS Security Committee. See contact information provided above.

Art Loss Register. For-profit database with charge for listing and searching entries (unless these are submitted through Interpol). http://www.artloss.com/

Archives & Archivists Electronic Discussion List: archives@listserv.muohio.edu

DeRicci Project: dericci@aol.com (for pre-1600 manuscripts only)

International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB). Send theft reports and requests for database searches to: security@ilab-lila.com (Reporting and searching limited to members).

International Antiquarian Mapsellers Association “Missing and Stolen Map Database”: http://www.missingmaps.info. This is open to the public, but use of the report form does require site registration.

Interpol. Investigates international thefts of cultural property. Submit reports via Interpol liaison at state or provincial level or via F.B.I. http://www.interpol.int/Public/WorkOfArt/Default.asp

Library Security Officers List. Susan Allen, moderator. Closed non-discussion electronic list for theft reporting and limited to library security officers only. For information contact the owner at: sallen@getty.edu

Museum Security Network. http://www.museum-security.org/wordpress/. Reporting address: securma@pop.xs4all.nl. Moderator Ton Cremers: museum-security@museum-security.org

Professional Autograph Dealers Association. c/o Catherine Barnes, P.O. Box 27782, Philadelphia, PA 19118; email: cb@barnesautographs.com; Home page: http://www.padaweb.org/. 215-247-9240; fax: 215-247-4645

Society of American Archivists.
527 S. Wells, Chicago, IL. 60607.
312-922-0140; fax 312-347-1452; email: sfox@archivists.org; home page: http://www.archivists.org/
This organization has several books in print on special collections/archives security. It also has a security-related round table and a discussion list at saasecurity-l@cornell.edu. This list is open only to SAA members, however.

Section V: Disaster Preparedness:

Smithsonian Institution Staff Disaster Preparedness Procedures, prepared by Office of Risk Management, October 1992, revised, October 1993
http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/bytopic/disasters/

Northeast Document Conservation Center
100 Brickstone Square, Andover, MA 01810-1494
978-470-1010; fax 978-475-6021
http://www.nedcc.org/home.php
They maintain a “Disaster Assistance” services page at: http://nedcc.org/services/disaster.php.

Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts
264 S. 23rd St., Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-545-0613; http:// www.ccaha.org
CCAHA Preservation Services Office has compiled the Mid-Atlantic Resource Guide for Disaster Preparedness, http://www.ccaha.org/uploads/media/564eb2913e2da51759605512be88674b.pdf.