Fortunately, the majority of my students return their books on time and in good condition. When they lose books, 95% of the time, their parents are willing to pay for the lost items. Having books stolen from my library is of little cause for concern. The theft of more costly items over the past six months has, however, made us hypervigilant.
There was a lock on my laptop that got stolen from the library; the iPads that were taken were supposedly locked in a classroom closet. These separate incidents, especially the latter, have made my school realize that we need to more carefully monitor the in-house use of electronic equipment. In addition, under no circumstances are computers or similar devices loaned to children or their families.
I have begun pricing security strips and sensors that can be placed in books, in areas in the library and in each classroom where certain portable equipment is being used. If Chicago Public Schools pays for or subsidizes the cost of it, it is possible that our school can acquire RFID, or radio frequency identification, services which coupled with the strips, will allow us to identify items that are not allowed to leave the school or the type of items that can go. It will not be a fail-proof system, but it could aid in maintaining and/or preserving library collections.
If taking physical equipment is not bad enough, imagine dealing with having your password, credit card number or other sensitive information stolen. Antivirus software is crucial to Internet safety when working online. Spyware, malicious software that is installed on computers without the person’s or organization's knowledge, can unwittingly collect or destroy personal or institutional information causing sudden ruin if not substantial hardship. For the most part, CPS has been really good with making sure its faculty, staff and students are protected online. Now, it is up to us to take constant measures to create and maintain a physical and virtual security system.
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