At 16:40 12/04/00 -0400, Jason Aikens wrote:
-snip-
> Why store artifacts in a safe?


We store some of our valuable items in locked cupboards in a strong room
whilst some of the rooms in our off site store are on restricted access
keys.  Items which fall into this category are easily portable with high
financial value on the open market.  This includes coins and medals,
netsuke, watches, jewellery, stamps, precious metals etc.  We also store
some pharmaceuticals and firearms in the strong room for security and
safety.  Separate areas for hazardous items are treated in the same way.

Access to the keys for these areas is restricted and always documented by
non-involved parties.  It is not possible for anyone to use the key without
detection as they are kept in sealed bags with unique numbers which cannot
be opened without damaging the bag.  The numbers are noted in a log book
and checked before use with the previous record to ensure the key has not
been used since the last authorised access.  The keys are sealed in a new
bag after use whose number is then logged.   All these procedures and
checks are documented, signed for and witnessed.  No one may enter the
strongroom alone - a security supervisor must always be there.

The reason for all these precautions is not to protect from outside
agencies (as an alarm system would) but from internal theft by staff,
contactors or visitors.  This is not to say that staff are inherently not
trusted - quite the opposite - but there have been a small number of cases
in the museum world of curators or other museum staff succumbing to
temptation.   To be honest it also makes me as a member of staff feel a lot
better knowing that high value material is not on easy access, because if
something does go missing, everyone who potentially had access can be under
suspicion.

Whether or not you should be storing objects in a safe depends on the
nature of the items in question.

Jackie


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Jackie Britton
Head of Collections Storage and Access
Science Museum, London SW7 2DD, UK

phone: 0171 942 4155         email: [log in to unmask]
Science Museum home page:  http://www.nmsi.ac.uk
Jackie's Architectural Pages:  http://www.geocities.com/Athens/4350
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