By Peggy Schaller

People

The number one priority for any institution is life safety. Museums are no exception and, as public institutions, must make sure we provide a safe place for our staff and volunteers to work and for our visitors to enjoy themselves.

The staff interacts with the visitors and patrons on a daily basis. They also are charged with maintaining the building, making sure it is clean and presentable each day for those who come to visit the museum, and with making sure the building and grounds are safe. Staff members are also responsible for the Museum's collections--they document each artifact; prepare and maintain a safe place with proper storage materials for those items in storage; create safe and secure exhibit environments for those items being displayed in the Museum's galleries and public spaces; and maintain a current and accurate inventory of where each item in the collection is located.

Volunteers generally work directly with visitors and patrons alongside the paid staff. They may be charged with similar duties or may be assigned to man/woman the galleries and answer questions about the Museum and the exhibition(s). Volunteers may also be enlisted to assist staff with collections care and documentation.

As public institutions, Museums are charged with maintaining a safe environment for those who visit or use the resources provided by them. Therefore, the safety of our visitors and patrons is an important part of our jobs as museum staff or volunteers. A large percentage of museum visitors are the most vulnerable sector of our society--our children and our elders. Museums must be safe places for children to learn and have fun; and they must be safe places for elders to enjoy and move through without worries or hazards.

Finally, museums, like other businesses, must sometimes rely on outside contractors or workmen to perform maintenance or other tasks within the museum. The safety of these individuals must also be a concern for museum staff.

Museum Building

The Museum's building is the core of the institution--without it there would be no institution. The building must be protected from fire, vandalism, weather, water, and natural disasters. Routine maintenance is a must and repairs must be made timely to prevent leaks in roofs or skylights; rodent and insect pest problems; and/or unauthorized entry. Regular checks need to be made to the fire detection and suppression systems to ensure they are in working order; if alarms are used, these, too, need to be checked for any problems. Lighting needs to be checked and night security lights must be in working order.

The Museum grounds are the first line of defense for the institution. Be sure that they are well lit and that all exterior lighting is working. Keep plantings away from the building's walls--not only are these plants a great place to hide, they encourage small animals to make themselves at home in and around the building's foundation. If you have external exhibits or historic buildings, make sure these are secured against damage or theft both day and night. During open hours one of the best ways to insure the security of historic outbuildings is to utilize volunteer docents to give tours, talks and/or answer visitor's questions about each structure.

The Museum's collections--without collections most museums would cease to exist. There are, of course, non-collecting museums, but most small museums have very large collections.   Industry analysts state that in most museums 80% of their collections are in storage at any one time and only 20% are out on display. Therefore, the museum needs to have strategies to protect the collections in storage and the ones on display. There are some small museums that have everything on display, and this makes for a very crowded facility that may be difficult to adequately protect--small items could disappear without anyone even noticing, particularly if much of the display is open and not inside secured cases.

Storage facilities need to be secured and have access restricted to only those who are charged with the care of the collection--not everyone needs keys to the store. Displays need to be monitored periodically during the day and checked at closing and again during the opening of the museum.

Property of others including items on loan from other institutions for display; items on loan from individuals for display, evaluation or potential donation; and employee and visitor property need to also be protected.

Response

Policies and Procedures

Policies and Procedures MUST be written down and given to every staff member--paid or volunteer--and the Museum administration must not only read, understand and follow the policies themselves, they must make sure all the staff understand and follow them.

What policies and procedures?

• Collections Management Policies and Procedures
• Hiring Procedures that include background checks for everyone
• Access Procedures for non-public areas of the museum

Excerpt from Security for the Small Museum Workshop available through Collections Research for Museums and presented by Peggy Schaller regionally to small (tiny) museums wanting to learn low and no cost security options. For more information on this workshop visit the  Collections Research for Museums website.

By Fiona Graham, Conservator, Canadian Museum of Nature; Sarah Spafford-Ricci, Royal Saskatchewan Museum and Lisa Kronthal, National Sciences Foundation

Lesson No. 1

• It helps when the firefighters know and love your museum
• Invite firefighters to tour your museum
• Host a party for families of firefighters and police officers

Lesson No.2

• Construction brings extra hazards
• Watch what your contractors are doing
• Develop guidelines for contractors working in museums
• Know what equipment and materials they will be using

Lesson No. 3

• Construction increases the fire risk
• Insist on a fire watch
• Make sure your fire detection and suppression systems are not compromised

Lesson No. 4

• Fire is bad - sprinklers are good
• OR
• A little water is better than too much or none at all

Lesson No. 5

• Consider the fire risk when designing exhibitions and storage layouts
• Don't block sprinklers
• Don't overheat fluid-preserved specimens
• Think twice before designing a labyrinth

Lesson No. 6

• Leaky cases mean dirty specimens
• If an air-tight case is not a good idea, include filtered holes or use positive pressure from a clean air source

Lesson No. 7

• Always clean with dry methods before using wet methods

Lesson No. 8

• Soot is insoluble
• Don't try to "solubilize" soot
• Try to lift it instead
• Oily components will come with the carbon particles

Executive Summary: Planning can make a big difference

By Robert Carotenuto, CPP, PCI, PSP and the ASIS International Cultural Properties Council

Short Term (Right Now!)

• Remember your organization's mission and ensure that you continue to follow it.
• Raise awareness by communicating with your staff.
• Learn and understand your staff's concerns.
• Discuss with local law enforcement potential threats to your institution.
• Let staff know how they can help, e.g. "If you see something, say something".
• Know what your neighbors are doing. Sharing ideas and information helps build a resilient community.

Long-term

Site Survey and Risk Assessment (Annual review at minimum)

• Look at your institution with a fresh pair of eyes to uncover potential vulnerabilities.
• Review your policies and procedures.
• Review all the resources at your disposal, both internal and external.
• Learn and understand ongoing concerns of your staff.
• Discuss with local law enforcement potential threats to your institution.
• Review your institution's daily operating procedures to understand how any changes in security procedures might adversely impact them.

Plan and Implement Solutions

• Develop a plan of action based upon your site survey and risk assessment.
• Physical site hardening takes time, planning, and money, all of which might not be possible, nor a cost-effective means of addressing your institution's risks.
• Do ensure that what physical security measures you have are working and in good condition-locks, doors, gates, bollards, access control, fencing, CCTV.

Communicate your plan

• Internal: emails, staff newsletter, staff meetings, training manuals and training sessions.
• External: let local law enforcement know your concerns and see how they might be able to assist you with an increased presence at your facility.
• Make sure all your internal and external contact information is correct and up to date.

Implement a heightened alert plan when threat levels increase.

• A pre-determined plan with action items that can quickly be implemented in order to raise organization wide security awareness and response to counter and reduce the threat.
• Move security posts to forward positions and provide security officers with specific post orders designed to counter/reduce the threat.

Perform staff training

• Review policies and procedures with your staff on what to do in various emergency scenarios-make it real for them!
• Tabletop exercises and drills will help reinforce training.
• Let all staff know that they can help through their own observations.
• If you see something, say something.
• Trust your instincts and report any suspicious persons, suspicious behavior, and suspicious packages.

Consider a behavioral approach to target hardening

• The Mall of America uses trained plain clothes security professionals to engage visitors whose activities are out of the norm.
• All potential wrongdoers fear detection and so will display certain typical stress characteristics.
• Create a baseline of what is considered "normal" behavior at your facility. Activity out of the norm might be a single male in his 30s spending time in an area where the average visitor is between 5-10 years of age accompanied by one or two parents. This approach allowed one of our security officers to identify a vagrant who was eventually removed from our grounds.
• Define what suspicious behavior is specific to your organization and train all staff (security and non-security staff) on how to report or respond when suspicious behavior is observed. What is suspicious in one organization may be normal behavior in others. For example taking photographs and video at a museum is normal guest behavior but it is not normal for photographs or video be taken of security equipment, posts, employee areas, etc.
• Engage every visitor to your institution with a simple greeting. The retail industry has deployed this security tactic effectively for years and studies have shown that such an approach does reduce criminal activity.
• If you have the resources, consider having some of your security officers work in plain clothes in order to help detect any possible perpetrators, such as pickpockets during times of high visitation.

Screening

• All deliveries to your facility.
• If you have the resources, consider screening all visitor vehicles and bags.
• Consider a package or bag policy that will not allow visitors to enter your facility with any package or bag beyond a certain size. Best of all possible worlds is a no bag policy, but this might not be practical for the visitors to your institution based upon your culture and risk profile.

Employee Travel

• Review the US Department of State website for updated travel warnings and alerts.
• Staff traveling on company business should provide detailed itineraries so their locations can be pin-pointed if and when something happens.  Whenever a terrorist event occurs somewhere in the world, one of the first questions your organization should ask is:  "Do we have any staff traveling there?"
• Those who work for a company that travels abroad you can sign up for the OSAC report, and receive it daily, which is always informative for specific countries or this sort of alert. 
• Advise your staff that they should register with the local US consulate abroad, if there is one, and you should have a planned exit strategy, such as first flight out of a war zone to first safe destination.

Key Points for Security Personnel

• Be visible.
• Be vigilant.
• Be proactive.
• Engage all visitors and staff.
• If you see something, say something.

Robert Carotenuto, CPP, PCI, PSP is Associate Vice President for Security at The New York Botanical Garden in the heart of the Bronx. His more than twenty years of security experience in cultural property protection include sixteen years at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. At the Metropolitan Museum, he served as the Associate Security Manager for Physical Security and the Command Center, focusing on fire and electronic security systems, emergency management, and business continuity. Robert is currently the Vice Chair of the ASIS International Cultural Properties Council, past Chair and current Vice Chair of the American Alliance for Museums Security Committee, a member of the ASIS International Academic and Training Council, and an Adjunct Lecturer in the Department of Security, Fire, and Emergency Management at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He holds Master of Science degrees in Computer Information Systems and Protection Management from Baruch College and John Jay College respectively.

By Steve Layne and Peggy Schaller

Reprinted from August 2014 Collections Caretaker

By Steve Layne

Reprinted from February 2015 Collections Caretaker

If you pay any attention to the news, you can't help but notice there's a lot of turmoil, around the world, and within this country.   The word has gone out, to those who for one reason or another feel alienated or suppressed by westerners, Americans in particular.  The message they are receiving is to individually or in groups, wreak havoc wherever the opportunity presents itself.  That includes armed assault, kidnapping, murder, explosive devices, fires, destruction of property, and more.   Museums, historic houses, and especially national iconic sites...are "soft (vulnerable) targets."

It is foolhardy to think that these elements cannot or will not strike in your neighborhood.  Regardless of the size, scope, or nature of your institution, the possibility of a threat becoming reality exists.  And once it begins, it's way too late to think about how to respond.   Sound prevention measures are available.  Solid defenses are affordable.  It starts with staff-wide awareness and an efficient reporting system.  Absolute control of your building's perimeter is a must.   Package inspection, frowned upon by many institutions, is a viable prevention tool, but infrequently initiated.  The Philadelphia Museum of Art, one of the nation's largest, inspects every parcel and container coming into the institution, daily, and everything going out....efficiently, and with strong attention to visitor relations.   The excuse "we can't afford it," or "we don't have adequate staff" is just that, an excuse.   We're going to have tragic events in this country.  Do what you can, now, to avoid being a victim.  You need to have a plan.   For direct information about preventing measures, contact the International Foundation for Cultural Property Protection (IFCPP), the Department of Homeland Security, The FBI, or your local law enforcement agency.

Stevan P. Layne is the principal consultant and chief executive of Layne Consultants International, a leading provider of cultural property protection advice. Steve is a former police chief, public safety director and museum security director. He is the author of The Cultural Property Protection Manual, and the Business Survival Guide. Steve regularly presents to professional associations and has consulted with more than 400 museums and other institutions. Steve is the founding director of the International Foundation for Cultural Property Protection and responsible for the professional training and certification of more than 1,000 museum professionals. For more information visit his web site Layne Consultants International.

By Helen Alten

Reprinted from February 2015 Collections Caretaker

The Impact of Disasters on People

Events of all sizes create a notable disruption in people's lives because these events cause significant change. The trauma of a disaster results in cognitive, behavioral, emotional, physical, and spiritual responses in those affected by it, including the recovery workers.

The emotional and physical response of each person depends on many factors. These include the intensity of the disaster; the time between the event and recovery; the emotional and physical strength of the individual; the depth of feelings and level of panic felt by the individual; and prior experience with a similar event.

Emotional symptoms that might occur include irritability, anger, denial, fear, sadness, depression, grief, mood swings, isolation and withdrawal, feeling helpless and overwhelmed, and self-blame and/or blaming others. Physical symptoms can include loss of appetite, insomnia, fatigue or hyperactivity, concentration and memory problems, or increased use of alcohol or drugs. No one should be blamed for their reactions. All of these are coping mechanisms in a difficult time. It is important that we understand that all of this is normal, needs to be accepted, and needs to be treated before it makes the disaster much worse than it already is.

Psychological First Aid

Psychological First Aid is part of the recovery process as much as physical stabilization of your artifacts. It involves providing contact, engagement, safety and comfort for each individual. A therapist identifies the needs and concerns of each person and provides them with practical assistance and information on coping methods, social supports and collaborative services that can provide more help. Remember, after the first few hours, the members of a recovery team are also psychologically affected by the disaster.

A therapist's first contact with those affected by a disaster should address needs of individuals, families and communities. The goal is to reduce the initial distress caused by traumatic events. Then the therapist works to foster short and long-term adaptive functioning in each person, according to the culture and the ages of the affected individuals.

When making contact with survivors of a disaster it is important to be gentle, compassionate, and respectful of individual feelings. The therapist's contact should be suggestive, not conclusive, informal and unobtrusive. It takes time for survivors to feel safe and trusting. Patience is important to reduce fear and apprehension. Answer pressing questions, concerns and needs, and support their individual coping efforts.

The impact of trauma can reduce the ability to concentrate, disrupt attention, and impair cognitive skills. Think about when someone near to you died. Did you have trouble remembering where you put the car keys? Were you wandering around, forgetting important things, feeling like a zombie? Trauma can lead to regression and poor coping mechanisms that result in anger. It is important to create and sustain better feelings around these individuals by stressing safety and staying calm. Create an atmosphere that promotes connections with others and self-sufficiency, empowerment and hope. 

First Responders are not immune

First responders are not immune to psychological reactions to disaster situations. First responders include emergency management personnel, healthcare workers, psychologists and social workers, contractors, museum/library conservators and staff and volunteers. Some of the factors causing stress in first responders are long hours, not knowing the duration of the deployment, unfamiliar context, new challenges, time pressures, multiple or conflicting priorities, previous traumatic experiences, and fear of death, injury and/or illness.

Mitigation Strategies

Mitigation strategies include briefing personnel before the response operation begins. Make everyone aware of the expected emotional responses in victims and responders. Emphasize teamwork and sharing both the workload and the emotional load. Assign partners to help each other and be sure to rotate personnel to minimize fatigue. Take breaks away from the incident area and emphasize the need for good nutrition, frequent water breaks, and rest. Talk about the experience and phase-out workers by gradually assigning them to easier recovery activities. If possible, include daily debriefing. Add a therapist to the recovery team to help people continue to cope effectively.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an intense physical and emotional response to thoughts and reminders about the traumatic event. If you see symptoms within yourself or one of your colleagues, reach out for assistance. Do not suffer in silence. Disasters and other traumatic events affect everyone. Be a survivor and not a victim.

Helen Alten founded Northern States Conservation Center 18 years ago and museumclasses.org10 years ago. She is an objects conservator with a desire to bring about change through museums, improving our communities and the patrimony we leave to our off-spring.