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Sherman County Historical Society and Museum
Open Daily 10 until 5 May through October

Contact: Sherry Kaseberg

News release. March 1, 2000
Security on The Line
Museum security is increasingly important to designers, builders and operators of museums. Museums, in towns small and large, are as vulnerable to theft as homes therein. With recent museum and household thefts, residents of the Columbia Plateau need to be mindful of the consequences. 

According to Sherry Kaseberg, Director of the Sherman County Historical Museum in Moro, “Thefts discovered in this facility in recent months are leading us to install security monitoring and alarm devices and additional barriers in our Museum at relatively great cost. Institutions preserving artifacts held in the public trust are challenged by their small budgets and the very presence of the public they serve. We’d much rather spend this money on exhibits and programs.” 

Museums in the region experience thefts that are seldom made public.  The Sherman County museum board reports theft, inside or by visitors, to the Sherman County Sheriff, but has not announced them publicly. However, says Kaseberg, “Museum visitors, members, volunteers and donors need to be mindful that the additional cost of security systems further stretches an already thin dollar. From a managerial point of view, theft in the museum is as upsetting to the folks who work there as if it were in their own home.” 

It’s wake-up time at Sherman County’s museum! Cameras with recording film are being installed in the organization’s new agricultural exhibit building, and additional barriers will be constructed in sections of the Museum. The small museums that we take for granted represent enormous collective repositories of historical artifacts. Kaseberg urges those with knowledge of thefts or stolen objects to report them right away. The Museum number is 541-565-3232.