Mitigating Covid-19 when Managing Paper-Based, Circulating, and Other Types of Collections

In this webinar, Dr. David Berendes and Dr. Catherine Rasberry from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) presented an overview of the CDC’s guidance for community settings. It was streamed on March 30, 2020 and can be viewed on the Institute of Museum and Library Services' (IMLS) website. The webinar was presented in co-ordination with the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Museum and Library Services, National Archives and Records Administration, Smithsonian Institution, and the Library of Congress. As the IMLS is closely monitoring Covid-19 and its impact on museums, libraries, and the communities they serve, the materials and links mentioned in the webinar have been added to the IMLS coronavirus page under "Official Government Information and Resources."

The webinar also included discussion on the environmental disinfection while elaborating on how libraries, archives, and museums can help mitigate Covid-19 when working with paper-based, circulating, and other types of collections.

Some of the questions addressed in the webinar are:

• What is the difference between cleaning and disinfecting a surface?
• How to ensure hygienic handling of paper-based products in libraries?
• Does the CDC have a view on ozone systems?
• How effective is a a UV light as a disinfectant for museums and libraries?
• Is the 24-hour quarantine enough for a safe circulation of library materials?