ABSTRACT

A great deal of information about crime and its effects have been presented in previous chapters. Several general conclusions can be drawn from the three studies. It is clear that crime is common in libraries in all of the countries studied. Furthermore, the range of crime problems is substantial. While some libraries suffer only minor problems of book theft, many others experience property crimes as well as crimes against persons. It also has been shown that community and institutional factors affect the patterns of crime. Since security programs are designed to deal with actual and anticipated problems, it stands to reason that these programs will vary from location to location. Yet it is possible to suggest some precautions and measures that may be useful to libraries facing a wide range of problems.