Comprehensive Security Plan for the Local Public Library (Essay Sample)

Comprehensive security plan for the local public library
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Introduction
Having a comprehensive security plan in place is significant for any public institutions. A public library attracts many people and it’s the responsibility of the management to ensure that the people who are accessing the library are safe. Comprehensive library security will not only help to deal with the security of the people but also the security of the equipments and materials that are found inside the library. Public libraries should ensure appropriate measures are taken to combat security through ensuring data integrity and physical security. It is therefore important to ensure a comprehensive security plan is put in place to help address threats to security, whether from viruses, hackers, hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, failure of hardware as well as from malicious insider attack. This paper will address how to design a comprehensive security plan for California club branch library that is located in Miami in Florida and is associated with the Miami-dade public library systems (Carey, 2010).
Developing a comprehensive security plan for the public library
The library is not located inside another building and the security plan should therefore target the building. The library is located in the community and has recorded increased number of individuals who access it for information both from online sources and from books and other materials that are contained in the library. The comprehensive plan will help address the challenges that are faced by the library management and those that are related to security. My security strategy will target issues such as installation of the closed circuit TV cameras, a mechanical access control key systems, a remote and centralized data accessible intrusion alarms as well as comprehensive training to contact security guards and library staffs on proper safety and security procedures. Revision of the security hours will be effective in promotion of efficient and effective utilization of security staffing. The library should have a security management team in place that will be in contact with the local law enforcement agents (Brand, 2012).
The local law enforcers and the library security branch will work together to ensure threats to security are well handled. There are various security risks that may face the public library. As a result of large number of people utilizing the resource, the library may be a terrorist target. The management should therefore ensure that continuous scrutiny at the entry point is done to prevent explosives or other dangerous weapons such as guns finding their ways into the study area. This can be done by installing explosive and metallic detector at the main entrance to the building. In addition, security alert will be fitted in the wall to alert the security management team in the events of security breaches (Brand, 2012).
The library security team and the local police will be able to exchange phone numbers as well as alerts on potential behavioral problems, suspicious persons as well as crime awareness contacts. The library management will be able to organize wide staff training to address common library challenges such as behavioral problems and personal safety. The security plan allows each training presentation to involve a branch manager who will be able to communicate employee and site specific concerns. Managers were taught the essence of the concept of police business relationship and law enforcement outreach. Interlibrary incident report will help the staffs to identify and document suspicious incidents in the library by utilizing prevention and crime awareness technique. The overall supervisory staff will be trained on how to manage and control system wide resources such as mechanical key access, CCTV and the intrusion alarm system (Fleischer & Heppner, 2009).
The CCTV cameras will be strategically placed to detect the acts of burglary or intrusion into the public library facility. Burglary is also known as entering or breaking and sometimes house breaking. Burglary is considered as a crime in the United States of America and is punishable. Burglary entails entering into a building illegally with the purpose of committing an offense. The presence of the CCTV cameras inside and outside the library as well as the trained library personnel will help detect any act of burglary and report it to the relevant authority. Suspicious individuals may break into the building with the intention of stealing library materials such as books and computers. The law on robbery and burglary are contained under chapter 103 of the U.S code. The law targeting is also contained in the Florida statutes. Chapter 810 of the Florida statutes identifies burglary as an act of entering a structure or a building without permission with an intention of committing an offense while inside. The act is punishable by a term of over ten years. My comprehensive security plans will be effective in identifying the act of burglary and robbery (Fleischer & Heppner, 2009).
Vandalism and theft of library equipment are crimes that are punished by law and are threats to the security of the library. Vandalism is considered a willful damage or destruction of property in a manner that diminishes the value of the property. Vandalism can result to damage of properties as well as destruction of the properties. For a person to be convicted for the charges of vandalism, the elements such as physical damage to the property, intention and the ownership of the property should be taken into consideration. Cases of vandalism or theft may take place in cases where individuals destroy the library systems or other equipments that are situated into the library (Fleischer & Heppner, 2009).
Theft may entail individuals stealing the properties of the library such as books and other materials that can be found in the library. People may attempt to steal library materials and getting them out through the windows or the entrance. The installation of detectors at the point of entry will help prevent the users and other suspicious individuals from stealing library books. In addition, the installation of surveillance cameras will help detect the act of vandalism and thereby reporting the incident to the relevant authorities. Reinforcement of windows will help keep thieves away and will also decline the act of theft in the library. The various states have varying laws that target vandalism. For example, some penalties that cover the act of vandalism in Florida may include a jail term, restitutions, community service, probations and fines. The training of the library staffs will also help to identify the act of vandalism from the library users at the time when the library is open to the public (Bahr, 2010).
Personal library security will involve protecting the users and the workers at the library by ensuring the place is safe and secure for the public. It is the responsibility of the management to ensure that the library is secure and that the people’s security s taken care of. The management will increase the number of security officers who will maintain security both within and outside the library. The staff and the security officers will be trained on disaster management activities so as to intervene in cases of assault and damage to personal properties in the event of fire or terrorist attack (Bahr, 2010). The security personnel will be able to identify any threat to personal security of the users and intervene when necessary by analyzing the installed surveillance cameras as well as through monitoring suspicious characters in the library. The sitting arrangement should be organized in a manner that can help monitor the users and asses any abnormal occurrence.
Library records and information should be secured as a result of its importance to the library and the users. California branch library has made important investment in terms of computer based resources, services and training. Such investments, however, need to be protected from mistakes or misuse through information security. The proliferation of the internet as well as other computer based technologies has been important to the library services. Libraries therefore, requires to posses protective measures, policies and trained staffs to help safeguard their investment in computer based technologies, services and personnel. Information security tend to targets issues such as securing the computer systems against access by suspicious characters and includes information management, data integrity and information privacy. Library information and records are important for daily library services. Staff training on information and record security will help prevent theft of information which is considered as a crime and punished by the law. Installation of modern data security in the library computers will help safeguard information and records in the library (Baker, 2011).
Emergency planning and response
The library staffs and the security personnel will be trained on how to handle emergencies such as fires and attacks. The plan will include purchase of effective equipments such as fire extinguisher and installation of pipes and other equipment in the library that will help the people to react positively in cases of an emergency. People should be directed on the direction to follow, and how to keep themselves safe in cases of an emergency (Baker, 2011). This can be done by installation of fire alarms that can be pressed to alert individuals to move out of the building. The fire assembly site should also be created outside the library to help assemble people after a tragedy strikes.
The occupation safety and health administration (OSHA) is an institution in the country that helps safeguard the safety of workers at their place of work. The libr...