Melinda,
We are in exactly the same situation. All of our facilities(lights, water,
power, and all cleaning/maintenance) are managed by the various university
physical plant departments. We have an electronic security access system
that supplements the key based system, which is how we control access.
There are many places we actually want the physical plant to have access.
We have a pretty good relationship with the physical plant personnel, and
they understand our needs for security. The university police department
also has limited access.
Essentially we set it up in layers. All of the major doors in the museum
are magnetically locked at certain times of the day. All of those doors are
also key lockable, and some stay locked all the time. Physical plant has
keys to some of those doors, but they have no access at all after hours.
Our workroom is generally off limits to anyone but staff, and our object
storage vault has only two magnetic keys(mine and the curator). The door
and magnetic key system is attached to the alarm system, which alerts the
university police. It is supplemented by a recorded digital video camera
system.
That system seems to work fairly well, with a couple issues relating to the
specific structure of my building, which I have not yet solved. One being
that one of the doors we do not have access to for fire safety reasons is
actually behind one of the doors they do not have access to. The biggest
part, other than the functionality of the system itself, is communicating
with physical plant and making sure they understand why they need to ask
before accessing certain areas. We do not normally deny them access at any
time, and they understand why we want to know who is where and when.
We have learned the hard way in the past that an entrenched way of doing
things can be intensely resistant to change. You do not want to try or be
perceived as attempting to force them off your turf. Even if you succeeded,
the last people on campus you ever want to be upset with you is your
physical plant staff. A written policy, worked out with their needs in mind
as well as yours, combined with considered discussion with the right people
will go the farthest distance toward your goal.
I would suggest you communicate your needs to the head of your physical
plant as well as your university police (if applicable) before the
installation of your new electronic system(s). Then re-key your locks at
the same time you install the system(s). At that point you have full
knowledge of who has keys/cards to what, and you can begin the process of
weaning your physical plant off full access. In my situation, there is a
certain degree of trust that I am forced to allow, but I also take steps to
try and insure that said trust is monitored. They do not mind as long as
the doing of our job does not interfere with the doing of their job
unnecessarily.
Good luck with your new system.
Mark Janzen
Registrar/Collections Manager
Edwin A. Ulrich Museum of Art
Martin H. Bush Outdoor Sculpture Collection
Wichita State University
(316)978-5850
Melinda McPeek
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Hello,
I am the Collections Manager for a small University Gallery/Museum and
am in the process of writing a security/access policy for the Museum.
Our facility is managed by the University’s Physical Plant which means
that all Physical Plant staff have keys and access
to the Museum and Collections Storage areas and all contract work goes
through them. This presents a huge problem and I am trying to
change this policy. Physical changes such as new locks, swipe card
entry, etc. are in the works, but the larger obstacle is getting the
Physical Plant and University to see that we are a unique entity with
unique needs and that restricted access is standard practice and that
we need to change the existing policy. Are there any University Museum
staff out there in a similar situation and do you have sample policies
you could share in regards to internal access?
Thanks for your assistance,
Melinda McPeek
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