We have been updating you on the results of the REALM project. These are the scientific studies being carried out by OCLC and IMLS. They are testing to see how long the COVID virus lives on different materials available in a library. And now we are up to Round Six.

“For Test 6, five materials commonly found in furnishings and exhibits of archives, libraries, and museums, were selected. The materials were proved by the National Park Service, Metropolitan New York Library Council, the Library of Congress and from vendors.”

“For Test 5, four fabrics and leather—materials commonly used for bookbinding, upholstery, and crowd control—were selected. The materials were provided by the American Museum of National History, a private donation and through procurement from vendors.  “

“Four of the five items in Test 4 are similar book materials to Test 1, but in Test 4, these items were stacked to simulate their common storage configuration in bins and book drops and on shelves. The fifth item, expanded polyethylene foam, has not been tested previously and was done so in open-air conditions.”

“For Test 3, five plastic-based items were selected. The materials were provided by Columbus Metropolitan Library, the National Archives and Records Administration, and the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, Library of Congress.”

In Round Two, “Materials were provided by Columbus Metropolitan Library, the National Archives and Records Administration, and the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, Library of Congress.”

“Five items commonly found in public libraries, which are also in high circulation and expected to arrive back in public libraries in large volumes, were selected for Test 1. The materials were provided by Columbus Metropolitan Library.”