Reopening your library is going to be a scary process right now. But it’s worth taking the time to do things as well as possible. And that means following the information from quality science resources.

One of those resources is the REALM from OCLC, IMLS, and Battelle. Keep checking on their page to get updates.

“As libraries and museums around the country begin to resume operations and reopen facilities to the public, there is need for clear information to support the handling of core museum, library, and archival materials.   

OCLC, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and Battelle are conducting research on how long the COVID-19 virus survives on materials that are prevalent in libraries, archives, and museums. The project will draw upon the research to produce authoritative, science-based information on how—or if— materials can be handled to mitigate exposure to staff and visitors.

To achieve these goals, the REALM project will:

• Collect, review, and summarize authoritative research that applies to materials commonly found in the collections and facilities of archives, libraries, and museums
• Ongoing consultation and engagement with a project steering committee, working groups, and other subject matter experts from archives, libraries, and museums
• Laboratory testing of how COVID-19 interacts with a selection of materials commonly found in archives, libraries, and museums; and identifying methods of handling and remediation
• Synthesize the above inputs into toolkit resources that support reopening and operational considerations
• Share project information and toolkit resources through the project website and amplified by member associations and support organizations that serve archives, libraries, and/or museums.”

Here is some of the latest news:

“Project update: Test 4 announced

Battelle began testing on a fourth round of materials on July 31, 2020. Four of the five items in test 4 are similar book materials as were studied in test 1. In test 1, the items were laid flat and exposed to air; for test 4 they will be stacked to simulate their common storage configuration in bins, book drops, and on shelves. A fifth item, expanded polyethylene foam, has not been tested previously; the foam material will be exposed and open to air for this test, to simulate its more common configuration when used in archives and museums.  

The Battelle lab testing will examine the length of time the COVID-19 virus may live on these commonly used materials. The book and DVD case materials were provided to Battelle by Columbus Metropolitan Library, and the foam by the National Archives and Records Administration. Results from this round of testing are expected to be released in mid-September. The items include:

Materials studied in test 1, but in a stacked configuration:

• DVD/CD case (polypropylene)
• Hardcover book cover (buckram cloth)
• Softcover (trade paperback) book cover
• Plastic protective cover (biaxially oriented polyester film)

Material commonly used in museums and archives for storage and shipping:

• Expanded polyethylene foam (1-in. thickness)

So, what does that mean for your library?

• Staff need to have masks, gloves, and a boatload of good cleaning products. This is not the time to have cleaning spray that just smells nice; this is the time to have heavy-duty bleach spray.
• When books come back from being checked out, they need to be dropped into a bin or onto a cart by a staffer wearing gloves. Put a sticky note onto it with the date, then push it into a back room, a storage area, a closet, or anywhere else nobody will be around it. Come back in four days, and they should be virus free. 
• Board books are not showing the virus after four days, so follow the same procedures you would use for other paper books. If you have archival folders, stack them up – again wearing gloves – and leave them in that isolated area. They should be okay after two days. We would give it the full 48 hours, to be sure.
• If you have magazines, the testing here stopped after four days and the virus was still on them. It would be safest to just pull all your magazines for now, as many libraries are already doing. 
• If you have flexible plastic bags with kits and other neat things – the plastic bags will be okay to touch and circulate after five days. Again, put them into a bin or a box, while you are wearing gloves, then set the in a back room and ignore them for five more days. Depending on what is inside the kits, different protocols will need to be followed.
• If you have DVDS, the DVD itself is okay to touch after five days. The hard plastic container it is in will need to be carefully wiped down with cleaner. The virus was still on it when testing stopped after five days, so it needs that extra effort. Don’t spray cleaner on a DVD though! It will be ruined.
• All the plexiglass shelving, boxes, and containers you have around the library need to be cleaned after anyone touches them. There was still virus detected on these surfaces after five days when they stopped testing, so it’s not just going away on these items. Get the gloves, get some cleaner, and do some very careful wiping.