One of the founding members of the Museum of Transportation in St. Louis had a stock line he used on all new volunteers who wanted to work in the library. It was "Are you here to work or to case the joint?" Over the years there were many instances of folks who tried to remove (steal?) things that were caught and who knows how many who got away with it. None of the folks who post here should be surprised that there are obsesive people who share our area of interest, or that some are so much so that they are not trustworthy. Add to that the various points already mentioned and you have a the makings of real problems with "homework." Photos and a paper trail are a start on keeping problems to a minimum, but some routine method of checking on the status of the work with those allowed to remove things would also be recommended. The key to this is not to be so agressive as to offend them while trying to keep track of things, which is not easy.

Ron,

Your comments remind me that just recently there were thefts from the National Archives by an intern who had access that the usual visiting reader did not have.

See:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/04/national/main2648178.shtml

There is always going to be someone who believes he has a greater sense of appreciation for a specific artifact than his peers. This is true of art thieves as well as railfans. England's Nat. Railway Museum was recently raided by a thief who stole a builders plate off a displayed locomotive, during Museum hours. Cab parts of a CPR 4-8-4 in Ottawa, Canada, were removed during daily display in the museum. For some it's merely vandalism, "can I get away without detection?". For others, it's their twisted concept of collection for "preservation".