Connecting to Collections Care

Hi all! I am currently looking into motion sensors or proximity alarms for a historic house museum. We offer both guided and self-guided tours and have docents stationed throughout the museum to monitor. There are several spaces that are difficult to consistently keep an eye on, so we are considering installing some sort of alarm to alert the docents if someone tries to enter an exhibit room or reach over a barrier. Rather than protecting a specific item, we want to protect the whole room. We previously tested a motion sensor that sat on the floor and would sound an audible alarm if someone entered the room, but did not go off if someone reached over the stanchions to touch the collections in that room. I think an "invisible curtain" type of sensor would be best, but I'm concerned with installation and don't want it to be too noticeable in the historic spaces. 

Does anyone have any experiences with setting up proximity alarms or any other ideas for what might work in a historic house? 

Thank you! 

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Haley Barber
Collections Manager
Maymont
Richmond
United States
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I suggest reaching out for suggestions and experiences through the Promoting Exhibit Access and Security (PEAS) group at: Promoting Exhibit Access and Safety

There have been great developments in this area over the past ten years.

Rob

 

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Robert Waller
President
Protect Heritage Corp.
Ottawa
Canada
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Hello Haley,

We use Art Sentry and its been great. You can set it yourself and monitor it from an iPad, phone, or pc. and it can be either set as a  voice or an alarm sound. The cameras are very small. I would suggest talking to them to see what they can do for you. They are the high end solution though, so pricey, but worth it in my opinion. If anything, they will be willing to point you in the right direction to what you need. They are a great resource as well. 

Hope that helps!

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Bonnie Seymour
Registrar and Assistant Curator
The Parthenon
Nashville
United States
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Hello, 

I have not worked with them personally, but when I was at the Texas Association of Museums conference earlier this week, there was an exhibitor there that I think could really be what you are looking for. Art Sentry allows you to draw a barrier around objects and such so the alarms only alert (either with sound or to staff) when the threshold of the object barrier is crossed. Again, I have never worked with them and have no idea about the price point, but it's definitely worth looking into in my opinion. 

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Holly Hawkins
Collections Manager
Brazoria County Historical Museum
Angleton
United States
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