Thirty-five surveillance cameras were installed over the summer in the Nelson Poynter Memorial Library, and were up and running by the first day of classes on August 22.
The cameras are located in common areas of the library, the Dean’s Suite and Special Collections & Archives. Aside from a brief mention in the restroom newsletter, there is no visible signage indicating the cameras’ presence.
In the near future, the university plans to post additional signage in the library, and on the website, informing visitors of the cameras.
Because the library is open to the general public on weekends and evenings, the surveillance cameras will record activity 24 hours a day. Campus officials say all video recordings are sent electronically through the library network to the USFSP Campus Computing unit where they are digitally processed and saved.
Campus officials said the library has taken precautionary measures in the past to address the safety needs of patrons and staff members, like hiring security guards from local firm Security Forces in the evenings and on weekends. Cameras were the next measure in addressing safety at the library.
Any suspicious incidences should be reported to library staff and will be investigated by University Police Services and Security Forces. Video footage needed for an investigation will be provided by Campus Computing and sent to the campus police and library security personnel for viewing.
An incident involving a laptop that went missing from the library during the first week of school was resolved, in part, due to recorded footage from the surveillance cameras.
Although the laptop was turned in voluntarily, “had that person not turned in the laptop, then we would have filed formal Grand Theft charges against that person,” said Lt. Reginald Oliver of University Police Services.
Installation in public areas, where people can expect to have their actions observed by other people, is not a violation of privacy, university officials said.
Surveillance cameras are not new to USFSP’s campus. When cars were being vandalized last year in the parking garage, footage from the installed surveillance cameras helped identify the person responsible. Cameras are also installed in Residence Hall One and several other buildings across campus.
Although the cameras offer an added measure of security, they should not be considered a substitute for crime prevention and visitors to the library should still take the necessary precautions to safeguard their belongings, university police said.
Photo by Daniel Mutter/The Crow’s Nest
