Robertson on Library Security and Disaster Planning

Based in Vancouver, Canada, Guy Robertson is a senior instructor at Langara College, where he teaches library history, reference and readers’ advisory services, and records management. He is also an instructor in information security and risk management at the Justice Institute of British Columbia. He works as a consultant to organizations across North America, and has provided advice and services to libraries, archives, records centers, and museums in Europe and Asia. Mr. Robertson is noted for his research into book and manuscript theft, data loss and protection, and financial fraud and forgery. He has delivered keynote speeches, seminars, and workshops at conferences not only for librarians and archivists, but also for other professional and technical groups.

• Section 1: Disaster planningHoping for the best, preparing for the worst: a disaster planner’s experiencePandemic perspective: How an outbreak could affect libraries Postponing Alexandria: Dealing with catastrophes and floods in your library Water finds a way: Dealing with leaks and floods in your libraryLights out! Dealing with power outages in your libraryInvestigating risk: Assessing and analyzing trouble before it strikesA van and a plan: How consortium offices can contribute to disaster recovery Out! A guide to emergency evacuations Flood protection: Avoiding the wrong mixSurviving by committeeDisaster? No plan? What a library director should do Emergency management training for your library: The joys of tabletopping People, paper, data: Disaster planning for libraries Bookstore disasters: Surviving the worst-Selection of photographsSection 2: Safety and securitySenior security: Keeping the elderly out of troubleStealing from library patrons: A helpful introductionInto every professional life, a little moon will shine: Dealing with sub-problem patronsBeyond band-aid solutions: Dealing with medical emergencies in your libraryManual matters: Developing successful guidelines and losing priceless boredomNot for the squeamish: The dirty truth about your libraryRisks, rules and enforcement: Enhancing child safety in the library Downsizing the binder: Effective security planning for libraries What’s a little larceny between friends? Confessions of an info-thiefThe data back-up process: An overview for saboteursThe Elvis biography has just left the building, and nobody checked it out: A primer on library theft Shelving and safety: An overview Clearing the air: Improving indoor air quality in libraries Unofficial wisdom: A review of occupational health and safety in libraries Our vision of things: Basic eye care for librarians Stress? Settle for less Wise to the forger’s tricks: Detecting bogus signatures and inscriptions in collectable books’It’s not just the books’: Wheelchair patrons speak outA word from a pro: Protecting your store against book thieves State of the art: Risks to artworks and their ownersPost-Traumatic Stress: Finding a way to healSocial engineers and their victims: Making the wrong contact Sabotage for beginners: Destroying vital records Index