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Training your staff
A key element of any media loss prevention effort is a successful staff training program. Your system will be much more effective
with the active cooperation and participation of your entire library staff. We recommend that you periodically conduct formal
training sessions, including the following elements to help ensure its success.
• Reviewing the owner’s manual
• Practice tagging materials with 3M
™
RFID Tags
• Reviewing your library’s security policies
• Reviewing how to respond when the alarm sounds
• Using the system alarm log
• Addressing patron concerns
Hands-on practice
After reviewing this manual, your staff will benefit from actual hands-on experience with the detection system products they are
expected to use. We suggest you start by demonstrating the proper techniques for each tagging procedure. You may wish to
conduct the actual practice as follows:
1. Make sure that all the other 3M Library Systems products are installed and functional.
2. Let each staff member practice installing the tags on library items.
3. Let each staff member practice securing and unsecuring materials.
Review of your library’s security policies
Before practicing how to respond to alarms, staff should be familiar with the library’s security policies as they relate to theft of
materials. It is important that staff become familiar with state and local laws governing patron’s rights and responsibilities, and the
response should be consistent for all patrons caught in an alarm.
To help staff stay informed of security measures, your policy should be in writing and kept with your training kit along with any
other procedures you follow.
Note: It is particularly important for staff members to know what procedures the library follows when theft is suspected or when it
is necessary to contact a local law enforcement agency.
A critical phase of staff training concerns the proper steps to take when the security system alarm sounds. The value of tact
and courtesy when handling this delicate situation cannot be overemphasized. Your staff members should receive as much
preparation as possible to make them feel comfortable. With the proper training, your staff will be more likely to effectively deal
with patrons who activate the alarm.
Responding to alarms can be a sensitive situation but can also be handled confidently and effectively as long as your library has
established procedures and your staff members are fully trained in following them.
What to do when the alarm sounds
Generally, remain calm and courteous. Don’t panic and don’t rush to assumptions about the person who triggered the alarm. It’s
not possible to be immediately certain of the thoughts or motives of the person. Never accuse anyone of theft by word, by facial
expression, or by tone of voice. In rare occasions, the alarm may have triggered falsely. In other cases, an item may not have been
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