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Suggested Practices in Museum Security

“The Museum, Library, and Cultural Properties Council of ASIS International has adopted the "Suggested Practices for Museum Security" described in this document. "Suggested Practices" are not standards, and this document does not attempt to establish standards. While some NFPA industry standards are recommended, the use of the term standard in no way implies that museums who do not adopt the recommendations are in any way negligent. 

 

Not all aspects of all recommendations will apply to all museums. But most will apply or can be closely adapted by any museum institution calling itself a museum or gallery. Smaller museums in particular may find it difficult to comply with the recommendations herein. The Council recognizes that museums are so diverse in nature that there will be those for which these practices do not apply. While the recommendations as adopted are voluntary, they represent the composite opinion of the leading experts in the field of museum security as being appropriate for most, if not all, institutions. In fact, there will be few exceptions. While they may apply to historic houses or sites, libraries, and other cultural properties, they were not specifically developed for these applications unless they function as "museums" rather than simply architectural sites. We are hopeful that suggested practices could be developed for these specific applications in the future. It is also our hope that, in time, the Suggested Practices will be used by accreditation personnel as guidelines for evaluating the security of an institution.”