The Walker Art Building, the most recently renovated building on campus, may stand as the most secure building in Maine.
The Museum's recent $20 million renovation, completed this fall, included the addition of a top-notch security technology system and museum-trained security personnel.
In 1992, the Museum's administrative staff got in contact with one of the most respected security consultants in the United States, Steve Keller. Keller has worked with prestigious institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution, the National Gallery of Art, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Keller worked with the College to design a security system to fit Bowdoin's needs.
According to Suzanne Bergeron, assistant director of operations at the museum, Bowdoin's ability to install such effective security programs has to do with the nature of the museum's renovation, which started from the ground-up and allowed for changes in almost every aspect of the building's interior make-up.
"The whole system is new and re-wired with the finest equipment we could buy," Bergeron said.
"The building is certainly well-secured," said Director of Safety and Security Randy Nichols. Museum security falls within Nichols' responsibilities.
"Among its security features are motion and vibration detectors throughout the building, and 24-7 video-surveillance monitoring of about 45 cameras. This surveillance monitoring occurs on-site, in the Communications Center, and at the headquarters of the museum's security company, BOULOS," Nichols said.
Nichols also noted that the building is equipped with a card-access system entirely separate from Bowdoin's card-access system, and that there are plans to add additional cameras on the building's exterior as well.
"The security of the building is really wonderful for us," said Bergeron.
"What good security does is allow us to borrow a lot of items from other museums. The people from whom we are borrowing want to make sure that the museum is the correct environment for their pieces," she added.
Keller's system takes all aspects of this environment into account, including temperature, air-quality, and humidity levels. Additionally, the museum's security guards play a large role in the process of monitoring these levels.
"The security officers at the museum are some of the most important people on staff," said Bergeron.
"Not only do they patrol the galleries, they also check for air or water leaks and alert us to problems they might notice with the heating system, and occasionally answer questions for visitors regarding the pieces or where certain pieces are located in the building. They are the people who visitors have contact with, so in many ways they are the face of the museum," she said.
According to Assistant Director of Security Louann Dustin-Hunter, all Bowdoin security officers are now trained to operate within the museum, whereas "before Bowdoin [security] officers not working directly in the Museum were only trained to deal with Museum security after-hours."
Currently, Bowdoin employs four full-time museum security staff members and about four "casuals," all specifically trained for museum security.
"We try to put officers on the floor in proportion to how many people we expect at the museum, which we haven't really been able to gauge yet since the museum is new," said Dustin-Hunter.
"Ultimately we have to remember that the museum's collections are known internationally and we must be alert all the time, which our officers help us with" said Bergeron. "This is not necessarily because we feel that the campus or the town is a threat, but because we feel that we have pieces that may be of interest to outsiders. We are simply trying to be proactive in protecting the collection and the visitor, both of which we want to ensure are secure," she added.