Issue date: 9/15/04 Section: News

[Ryan Jones/The Daily Pennsylvanian] The sign reminding students to open their bags for inspection by Van Pelt Library Spectaguards is part of an effort by library officials to prevent thefts of Penn laptops, which bear easily noticeable bright red or bl [Click to enlarge]

By the main exit of Van Pelt Library, there is a sign that asks visitors to display the contents of all bags. Many students find the policy to be an irritating hassle, since it appears the guards at the gates throw a peripheral, seemingly ineffective glance before letting them through.

Behind what many students feel is another time-wasting formality, library officials see a policy that has been effective both in preventing laptop and book theft and in minimizing exit delays.

"It's a catch-22 situation, because the guards are trained ... to look for certain keys," said Tom Wilson, manager of operational services at Van Pelt.

He added, "When a guard actually looks into the bag, they are not actually looking at the books. They are looking for those little signs. ... And that only takes a second. That's why it doesn't seem as if the guards are actually looking."

Some signs include bright red strips painted on library-owned laptop computers, which are available for use inside Van Pelt, and call numbers and "University of Pennsylvania" stamps on the book edges.

"The laptops that are coming from here have red and blue tape on [them, and] that's why they can go so fast," said a full-time Spectaguard at the Van Pelt exit desk, who did not want her name used. "If you have a laptop and it's gray, we know it's not ours."

She added that the laptops are the primary concern, since they are not compatible with the security system in place, but book bindings are quickly examined, even though they are harder to differentiate.

Library-owned laptops do not have the magnetic strips used to prevent book theft, because the magnets could harm the computers.

But many students who go through the process on a regular basis feel that the checks are ineffective and a waste of time.

"I think it's quite useless. I think it's really just, "Look, we're doing something -- making an effort,'" Engineering sophomore Neal Morton said. "But if someone wants to steal a book, they will just put it in one of the pockets [guards] don't look at."

But more thorough checks would cause delays, which would only further frustration on the part of visitors. Library officials consider the system in place an effective balance between adequate security and limiting delays.

"The point is, do we want to get very invasive?" Wilson said. "It's a very fine line between invading someone's privacy and trying to do security." Wilson added that the system has been an effective means of deterrence.

And although library officials admit that the system is far from perfect, they say that there is no plausible and cost-effective alternative.

"We've looked at getting the technologies changed. We have looked at new versions of the systems or a different system entirely. It was looked at in 1999 and in 2002," Director for Library Public Services Sandra Kerbel said. But since the library contains several million books, she added, there is no feasible or cost-effective upgrade available.

The current system was first installed in the late '70s, and the guards were incorporated to check the books at the exit.

As technology developed, they were trained to look for laptops as well. And although both Kerbel and Wilson say they would love to get the system updated, the overwhelming cost prohibits any such actions. Nevertheless, they did say that they are open to student input on how they could improve the system.

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