AS STRONG AS ITS WEAKEST LINK:DEVELOPING STRATEGIESFOR A SECURITY PROGRAM

Whether we work in a university art gallery, public library, science center, or research collection; whether we have inhouse security employees, student gallery aids, campus police, contract security or rely on our collections and other staff to uphold security standards, the components of our security programs are basically the same: people, technical systems, and policies and procedures, with training tying them all together. Too often, we fail to give full weight to the importance of our people-the human element. If we have not managed people, we have not managed risk. This paper looks at what motivates staff responsible for the security of collections; what they seek in a work environment. This paper considers issues ranging from a sense of purpose, to social interaction; from clarity of role, to opportunities for advancement. It gives examples of ways cultural institutions are attempting to meet these needs of our protection staff, thus helping to ensure the safety and security of collections.