With September upon us, you are probably looking forward to the arrival and return of young minds eager to learn and absorb all the great information and exciting stories held upon the bookshelves of your school library.
The hustle and bustle of everyday school life will no doubt be a welcome change from the past few weeks – the echoing silence of the school holidays! The only sound of late has probably been you and your library team colleagues organising and arranging your old and new stock of books in readiness for the new term – how exciting!
As you went through and checked off the list, you probably noticed you were missing some books? Library book theft is an ever-increasing problem, with many millions of books going missing from UK libraries every year. This is not only a problem in public libraries, but also in school and college libraries just like yours, with the perception in educational institutes of the library as an infinite resource.
So, what can you do to prevent or deter thefts and unauthorised borrowing in your library? Here are a few suggestions:
- Clear written policies and signage publicising and enforcing borrowing rules
- Regular stock checks
- Security staff – or team members trained to be vigilant
- Bag checking
These are all great forms of theft deterrent, but they can prove costly and time-consuming. The best form of prevention is to have in place an intuitive, up-to-date and modern library stock control system that balances ease of access to resources and effective protection of those resources.
Our UHF eRLS stock control system has an innovative, lightweight and compact design to complement the library aesthetic. Recycled elements are used where possible and best of all, this system doesn’t rely on big (not very environmentally-friendly!) Perspex antennas taking up much-needed floor space. Discreetly suspended from the ceiling, our RFID panels quietly and effectively go about their business and one antenna can cover a doorway of up to three metres wide.
Having worked with libraries since 1978, PSP Asset Protection has extensive experience when it comes to introducing library security and stock control solutions and understanding the delicate balance between protecting stock and ensuring an open and inclusive learning environment.
Please get in touch with our expert team today if you’d like to find out more. We’re always pleased to offer free, no-obligation consultancy to help you decide on the most effective solution for your library. As well as stock control solutions and hardware, we also design, install and support the market-leading school library management system with dedicated virtual learning portals, allowing students to access digital resources any time, anywhere and from any device. You can book a free demo of Infiniti LMS here.