LibGuides: Memorial Library Staff Information: 2020-2021 Pandemic Response

Pandemic Response 2020-2021

Berry College extended the 2020 spring break for an additional week, resuming classes remotely. Most students and faculty returned to in-person classes in fall 2020. Memorial Library responded by moving all possible services to virtual, with all library staff working remotely through May 2020. Staff returned to campus on May 15, with walk-in access for faculty, staff and students permitted on campus beginning Tuesday, May 26, 2020. Remote services continued and curbside pickup of physical materials was added.

Memorial Library Pandemic Response Documents

ALA Connect Discussisons

Reopening an academic library during COVID-19

Pandemic Response Links

Pandemic Resources for Academic Libraries
Resources for distance education and engagement, free professional development resources, best practices, and up-to-date information from public health officials.
ALA Pandemic Preparedness: Resources for Libraries
Information about preparing for a pandemic, including library-specific policy suggestions and more universal resources on pandemic education, prevention and preparation.
American Industrial Hygiene Association Reopening Guidance for Libraries
June 25. Intended to provide guidance and considerations for a range of libraries including community, higher education or school libraries.
REALM Project
June 22: Results show that the SARS-CoV-2 virus was not detectable on the materials after three days of quarantine. The evaluation demonstrates that standard office temperature and relative humidity conditions typically achievable by any air-conditioned office space provide an environment that allows for the natural attenuation of SARS-CoV-2 present on these common materials after three days of quarantine. As part of the REALM Project’s Phase 1 research, Battelle has conducted a natural attenuation study to provide information on how long some commonly circulated library materials would need to be quarantined prior to being returned to public circulation.
Designing Libraries for Safety in the Age of COVID-19
June 17. As libraries cautiously reopen the doors of their physical buildings to the public, minimizing risk from the COVID-19 pandemic to patrons and staff is top priority. Expert architects share design tips for how to use the building itself, and its furnishings, to reduce transmission, encourage social distancing, and get the library ready for its next phase while preserving flexibility for the long term.
How to Tackle Library Signage in a Pandemic and Make Visitors Feel Comfortable With Your New Rules
Higher Ed’s Response to COVID-19 and Plans for Reopening (Ithaka S+R)
June 18. Colleges and universities across the country are planning for a fall semester unlike any other. Now more than ever, the health and safety of the campus community and the needs of the most vulnerable students should guide decisions about whether and how to resume in-person campus activities in Fall 2020.
Changed, Changed Utterly (Inside Higher Ed)
June 5 Clemson University Dean of Libraries Christopher Cox predicts the significant ways academic libraries will shift in terms of collections, services, spaces and operations as a result of the pandemic.

The Reopened Campus (Chronicle of Higher Education)
May 29. Understand the complex practicalities, risks, and trade-offs of this unprecedented process. •What a socially distanced campus might look like • How teaching will change for instructors • How new safety measures will impact your institution's budget • What students need now to prepare for the semester ahead

Lancet: Physical distancing, face masks, and eye protection to prevent person-to-person transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis
June 1, 2020. Meta analysis of 172 studies concluded that distancing of at least 1 meter, as well as mask wearing, reduces risk of viral transmission.
more...less...
Findings regarding the chance of viral transmission or infection:
Physical distancing
Less than 1m: 12.8%
Greater than 1m: 2.6%
Greater than 2m: Relative effect might double to 1.3%

Face coverings
No face mask 17.4%
Face mask 3.1%

Eye protection (face shield, goggles)
No eye protection 16.6%
Eye protection 5.5%

Possible limitations
“Across 24 studies in health-care and non-health-care settings during the current pandemic of COVID-19, previous epidemics of SARS and MERS, or in general use, looking at contextual factors to consider in recommendations, most stakeholders found physical distancing and use of face masks and eye protection acceptable, feasible, and reassuring.... However, challenges included frequent discomfort, high resource use linked with potentially decreased equity, less clear communication, and perceived reduced empathy of care providers by those they were caring for.”
PNAS: Identifying airborne transmission as the dominant route for the spread of COVID-19
June 11, 2020 Provost Boyd: If you ever wanted to know why everyone should wear a mask, this is the article for you. It’s very accessible, no science background needed!
more...less...
Three key excerpts:
“The difference with and without mandated face covering represents the determinant in shaping the trends of the pandemic. This protective measure significantly reduces the number of infections. Other mitigation measures, such as social distancing implemented in the United States, are insufficient by themselves in protecting the public. Our work also highlights the necessity that sound science is essential in decision-making for the current and future public health pandemics.”
“While the WHO and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have emphasized the prevention of contact transmission, both WHO and CDC have largely ignored the importance of the airborne transmission route. The current mitigation measures, such as social distancing, quarantine, and isolation implemented in the United States, are insufficient by themselves in protecting the public. Our analysis reveals that the difference with and without mandated face covering represents the determinant in shaping the trends of the pandemic worldwide.”
“Wearing of face masks in public corresponds to the most effective means to prevent interhuman transmission, and this inexpensive practice, in conjunction with simultaneous social distancing, quarantine, and contact tracing, represents the most likely fighting opportunity to stop the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Reopening Links

COVID-19: Safety Tips for Reopening Your Library - May 12 Webinar
With a pandemic upon us, it’s hard to predict exactly how the world will look over the coming months. How and when schools and libraries open back up will vary greatly from state to state. But one thing is certain: there will be questions and concerns about how to keep students, staff, and patrons safe. While there are no absolutes, we invite you to join pediatrician and librarian Dr. Dipesh Navsaria as he talks about what we know about COVID-19, how to think about and evaluate steps you can take to keep people safe, and what safety measures could become the new norm. Send in your questions when you register and bring them to the live session.

General Information

New Mexico State LIbrary, Public Services Return to Work/Library Re-Opening Plan
Reopening: Not When, But How? Libraries consider the realities of a post-pandemic world
American Libraries, April 17, 2020
Public Health Principles for a Phased Reopening During COVID-19: Guidance for Governors
Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security, April 17, 2020
Pandemic Preparedness: Resources for Libraries
American Library Association
Project Library Workers Safe Reopening Resources
Includes links to reopening plans from several other libraries (mostly public).
Staying Open During COVID-19
American Libraries, March 23, 2020 - not about re-opening, but it does describe some of the measure libraries took to stay open.
Your Library & COVID-19
Baltimore County Public Library, March 11, 2020.

Handling Collections

Handling Library Materials and Collections During a Pandemic
From the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS)
How to Sanitize Collections in a Pandemic
American Libraries, March 27, 2020
Mitigating COVID-19 When Managing Paper-Based, Circulating, and Other Types of Collections
April 2, 2020. Dr. David Berendes and Dr. Catherine Rasberry from the Centers for Disease Control presented an overview of the CDC’s guidance for community settings and environmental disinfection, and a discussion of how libraries, archives, and museums can help mitigate COVID-19 when working with paper-based, circulating, and other types of collections.