Members of the security department in the Founder’s Memorial Library at NIU are one step ahead of those who try to step out with a book they didn’t check out.

A 3-M Tattle-tape Book Detection System was installed in 1980 as part of the university library security system. It required all books in the library to be tattle-taped or given magnetic tags which trigger an alarm if the books pass through the exit gates without being desensitized.

“It is the equivalent of a an airport security system,” said Elizabeth Titus, associate director of the information and access services in the library. “Certain things besides the tattle-tape, such as too much metal, can trigger it to go off.”

There are only two NIU libraries with this type of security system: the Founder’s Memorial Library and the Music Library, she added.

Students who set off the alarm are asked to return to the information desk. On their first offense, they are given a written warning and placed on the security warning list, she added.

If students set off the alarm and do not return to the information desk, they are identified with a hidden camera and complaints are filed against them and sent to the judicial board, Titus said.

Upon returning to the library, students are identified and then “it is up to the judicial board as to what actions are taken against the student,” Titus said.

Once a student is sent through legal channels, they can be fined or suspended, “depending on the degree of the violation,” said Larry Bolles, director of the University Judicial Office. “Some students may even be arrested, and non-students are always reported to the police department,” he added.