Security Assessment of Lake of the Woods County Historical Society

Museums need to maintain a visible security profile - if museums are proactive and serious about security they will be considered to be a less attractive target by potential thieves. A Lake of the Woods County Historical Society audit noted specific items were noted as missing and had been stolen. Further examination would indicate that even more objects were taken than initially indicated. In addition to the security of objects, concerns such as how to enhance the safety of lone workers were also important.

A security assessment is the first stage in correcting the problem. The second stage, to be completed as a separate project, is to implement the recommended changes outlined in the assessment. To gain an understanding of how to best secure the building and LOWCHS?s collection, as well as keeping staff and volunteers safe, grant funds were used to hire a qualified consultant to perform a security assessment of the Lake of the Woods County Historical Society's building.

A security consultant was hired to conduct the security assessment at Lake of the Woods County Historical Society and based on the consultant observations and interviews, the consultant created a list of six observations to improve the security at Lake of the Woods County Historical Society, which was prioritized in the final report to the organization.