Nimitz High School in Irving uses grant to secure its books

[TexasStooge]

New School library system also eases access for those in wheelchairs

By RUSSELL RIAN / The Dallas Morning News

IRVING, Texas - Nimitz High School has installed a new security system for its library that improves access for students in wheelchairs and should help reduce loss and theft of books, officials said.

The system will help staff keep track of books and set off an alert if books are taken from the library without being checked out.

"It is in place and we're really pleased to have it," said principal Sam Bean.

The previous anti-theft system was installed in 1984 but was too old to be repaired, officials said.

"When they came out to service it roughly in 2000, they said we don't have the parts to fix this old thing any more. That's it, so they [the library] were losing materials," said Caroline Kienzle, director of library services for the district. "When students came in to do research about a particular subject, like Michael Jordan, the book would disappear, even though it was put on reserve, because it was so easy to just walk out with it."

But the school couldn't afford the cost of the $12,000-plus anti-theft system without a grant. Under the grant, the district pays about $2,000 and 3M Corp. covers about $10,000. The district also will cover maintenance of the system under its current contract with 3M. In addition to better security, the system offers better access to the library for students in wheelchairs. Previously, a turnstile was in place.

"Our kids in wheelchairs couldn't get through, and there was no mechanism to release the gate [easily]," Mr. Bean said. Students can wheel through unencumbered with the new system.

The Nimitz High School library was among 100 middle and high school media centers nationwide to receive the grant, which MacArthur won in 2002 and used to install a security system.

Irving High's system also is dated and no longer functions, but this is the final year for the 3M grants. The Academy, too, has no specialized security for library books.

However, Ms. Kienzle said the trend is not to have the types of security systems that Nimitz and MacArthur have – where patrons walk through a controlled gateway. Many libraries are now moving to an integrated radio-frequency system that can assist with sorting and can track materials as they come in and are checked out and inventoried.

But such systems are too expensive for widespread use in school libraries, she said.