A Cost-Benefit Analysis for Determining the Value of an Electronic Security System

A major problem confronting the library administrator today is the loss of an increasing number of books through theft. One solution to l this problem is met by the installation of an electronic security system (ESS ). Although it is refatively easy to estimate the cost of installation and operation of such a system, it is considerably more difficult to j measure its benefits. In this research, two methods are -presented for estimating the rate of book loss. Once the book-loss rate is determined, an analysis is presented for ascertaining the benefits yielded by an ESS relative to the cost.