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COVID-19

Resources for Higher Education and Academic Libraries

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The rapid spread of COVID-19 has led a large number of colleges and universities to make substantial changes to how they provide instruction, with many closing campuses and shifting to online courses. This web page gathers together Ithaka S+R's research and analysis and also describes our related services and initiatives.
New resource: Higher Ed's Response to COVID-19 and Plans for Reopening
Services and initiatives
For more information or to participate, please contact us.
Assessment of remote learning experiences

We are working with colleges and universities to document and assess faculty and student experiences and student learning outcomes in remote learning contexts prompted by COVID-19. The information collected and analyses will be tailored to the institutional context and designed to inform key decisions around teaching and learning, professional development, and student support.

COVID-19 surveys

Over the past few months, we have partnered with over 20 colleges and universities to provide actionable insights on student and faculty needs in the wake of the pandemic. To continue helping institutions enhance research, teaching, and learning in the upcoming semester, we are again offering versions of our COVID-19 surveys for the fall semester. The student survey covers curricular needs, safety and well-being, intentions for returning in the spring, and perceptions of institutional communications and support. The faculty survey explores complementary topics related to teaching tools and approaches, research practices and preferences, and perceptions of institutional communications and support. Our approach has been developed with a number of instructional modalities in mind and will be relevant whether your institution is fully online or using a hybrid model.

Filling gaps in analytical capacity

On a contract basis, we are partnering with colleges and universities to provide support related to COVID-19 in data collection and analysis and internal research and assessment.

Spring 2020 outcomes

We are working with colleges and universities to assess the academic outcomes of undergraduate students in Spring 2020 compared to previous terms. Participating colleges will receive a report with their results (overall and by student characteristics) as well as benchmarks from peer institutions. At this time, there is no cost for an institution to participate, but spots are limited.

Strategic advising for leaders

Through virtual convenings, one-on-one engagement, and formal consulting projects, we are providing strategic guidance for leaders across the communities we serve, helping them plan for the uncertainties of the next academic year and-as important-the long-term future of their institutions.

Research and analysis

Access and equity | Cultural organizations | Higher education in prisons | Leadership | Libraries | Online teaching and learning | Post-pandemic planning | Research practices | Students

Access and equity

August 25, 2020, Incorporating Equity into Fall Reopening Plans (blog post), Elizabeth Banes, Lee Caron and Elizabeth Davidson Pisacreta

July 21, 2020, Reflections on the Comprehensiveness and Equity Considerations of Institutional Plans for Fall 2020 Reopening (blog post), Elizabeth Banes and Elizabeth Davidson Pisacreta

July 14, 2020, Streamlining Transfer for CUNY Students in the Bronx (blog post), Martin Kurzweil, Cindy Le, Alexandra W. Logue

June 18, 2020, Student Veterans Need Targeted Support Due to COVID-19 Educational Disruptions (blog post), Sindy Lopez, Elizabeth Davidson Pisacreta, and Emily Schwartz

April 27, 2020, Online Learning During COVID-19: Digital and Educational Divides Have Similar Boundaries (blog post), Daniel Rossman and Emily Schwartz

April 23, 2020, Going Test-Optional with Equity in Mind (blog post), Sindy Lopez, Emily Schwartz, James Dean Ward, and Elizabeth Davidson Pisacreta

Cultural organizations

August 17, 2020, Teaching with Cultural Heritage Online During the Pandemic: New Mellon-Funded Project (blog post), Danielle Cooper, Liam Sweeney and Kurtis Tanaka

May 6, 2020, Shared Heritage, Shared Responsibility: African Memory Institutions and the Response to COVID-19 (blog post), Oya Y. Rieger

April 24, 2020, The "Viral Pandemic Exclusion" Clause in Business Interruption Insurance Policies (blog post), Liam Sweeney and Nancy Kopans

April 13, 2020, To Survive This Pandemic, Some Museums are Pivoting to Virtual Engagement (blog post), Liam Sweeney

April 6, 2020, Documenting the COVID-19 Pandemic: Archiving the Present for Future Research (blog post), Oya Y. Rieger

March 18, 2020, Cultural Organizations & COVID-19: Documenting Virtual Engagement Strategies (blog post), Liam Sweeney

Higher education in prisons

Leadership

Libraries

Online teaching and learning

Post-pandemic planning

Research practices

July 21, 2020, Senior Research Officers: Revolving Portfolios and Strategic Priorities (blog post), Oya Y. Rieger and Roger Schonfeld

July 8, 2020, What about Research? Scholarship and COVID-19 (blog post), Nicole Betancourt

June 1, 2020, Data Communities in the Health Sciences (blog post), Rebecca Springer

May 27, 2020, Speeding Up the Dissemination of Scholarly Information (blog post), Oya Y. Rieger

April 14, 2020, Technologies at Hand: On Researcher Practices During a Pandemic (blog post), Danielle Cooper

Students

July 13, 2020, Surveys as Policy Tools, Jolanta Juszkiewicz, Community College Daily

June 25, 2020, What Does it Mean to Support Vulnerable Students During the Pandemic? Beckie Supiano, The Chronicle of Higher Education

June 25, 2020, Students Seek More Advising, Transfer Help and Tutoring, Matthew Dembicki, Community College Daily

June 25, 2020, Support for Higher Ed Remains Strong, Despite Uncertainty for Fall Enrollments, Survey Finds, Hugh T. Ferguson, NASFAA

June 18, 2020, College Programs in Prisons Go Remote, Lilah Burke, Inside Higher Ed

June 4, 2020, It's Time for Colleges to Change How They Enroll Students, Martin Kurzweil and Josh Wyner, The Hill

May 24, 2020, Colleges balance student safety with falling revenues during coronavirus - here's how universities will be transformed in the fall, Jillian Berman, Marketwatch

May 13, 2020, Students' Internships Are Disappearing. Can Virtual Models Replace Them? Goldie Blumenstyk, The Chronicle of Higher Education

May 12, 2020, How to Survey College Students About the Shift Online, Natalie Schwartz, Education Dive

April 21, 2020, Higher Education and the Public Good, Catharine Bond Hill, Inside Higher Ed

April 17, 2020, Libraries Brace for Budget Cuts, Lindsay McKenzie, Inside Higher Ed

April 16, 2020, Ithaka Library Directors Survey Reflects a Different Time-and Offers Clues for What May Lie Ahead, Lisa Peet, Library Journal

March 24, 2020, The Networked University in a Pandemic - and Beyond, Jeff Selingo and Martin Kurzweil, Inside Higher Ed

March 23, 2020, As Coronavirus Spreads, Colleges Make Limited Allowances for Support Staff, Karin Fischer, The Chronicle of Higher Education

March 19, 2020, 3 Ways Community Colleges Can Support Students During the Coronavirus Crisis, Natalie Schwartz, Education Dive

March 16, 2020, Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe and Christine Wolff-Eisenberg Discuss Academic Library Response to COVID-19, Lisa Peet, Library Journal

March 16, 2020, 'As Human as Possible', Colleen Flaherty, Inside Higher Ed

March 15, 2020, Latest Coronavirus News, Inside Higher Ed

March 13, 2020, What 'Distance Learning' Looks Like For Students Without Computers Or Wi-Fi, Rebecca Klein, HuffPost

March 12, 2020, The Campus Closure Divide, Lilah Burke, Inside Higher Ed

March 11, 2020, Crowdsourced Google Doc of Shutdowns, Paul Fain, Inside Higher Ed

March 11, 2020, Why Coronavirus Looks Like a 'Black Swan' Moment for Higher Ed, Goldie Blumenstyk, The Chronicle of Higher Education

March 4, 2020, Educators Salvage Canceled Educause Event with an 'Unconference', Betsy Foresman, EDSCOOP

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The rapid spread of COVID-19 has led a large number of colleges and universities to make substantial changes to how they provide instruction, with many closing campuses and shifting to online courses. This web page gathers together Ithaka S+R's research and analysis and also describes our related services and initiatives.

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University of Arizona. University Libraries.

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University of Arizona. University Libraries.

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Access during COVID-19

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Responding to COVID-19

Chat and email with us from 9am-9pm, 7 days a week! The Weaver Library is open Sunday through Friday 9am-9pm, and Saturday 9am-5pm. We're providing limited services in the Main Library lobby. The Health Sciences Library is open to Health Sciences affiliates. Learn more about access during COVID-19.

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Chat and email with us from 9am-9pm, 7 days a week! The Weaver Library is open Sunday through Friday 9am-9pm, and Saturday 9am-5pm. We're providing limited services in the Main Library lobby. The Health Sciences Library is open to Health Sciences affiliates. Learn more about access during COVID-19.

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COVID-19—We’re in this together

INFORMATION AND RESOURCES TO HELP

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Help crowdsource the safe return of ILL physical items

When COVID-19 hit, nearly 400,000 physical items were on loan to 5,674 libraries via the WorldShare ILL network. As these libraries begin to reopen, ILL professionals need to know if, and when, to send items back to their home library.

You can help crowdsource the safe return of ILL physical items. At the request of the ILL community, and to support this urgent need, OCLC is providing an easy way for you to signal when it is safe to mail physical items back to your library.

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Help crowdsource the safe return of ILL physical items When COVID-19 hit, nearly 400,000 physical items were on loan to 5,674 libraries via the WorldShare ILL network. As these libraries begin to reopen, ILL professionals need to know if, and when, to send items back to their home library.

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A collection of libguides on the pandemic.

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Skip to main content

It looks like you're using Internet Explorer 11 or older. This website works best with modern browsers such as the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. If you continue with this browser, you may see unexpected results.

ALA and ACRL arecommitted to supportingour members, staff, and all librarians and library workers during these uncertain times. Now more than ever, academic and research librarians and libraries are essential to a thriving global community of learners and scholars. This resource guide was created by ACRL to support the academic and research library community during global public health crises. The guide features resources for distance education and engagement, free professional development resources, best practices, and up-to-date information from public health officials.

ALA Statement on Library Closures

The ALA Executive Board unequivocally stands in support of the safety and well-being of library workers and the communities we serve, To protect library workers and their communities from exposure to COVID-19 in these unprecedented times, we strongly recommend that academic, public and school library leaders and their trustees and governing bodies evaluate closing libraries to the public and only reopening when guidance from public health officials indicates the risk from COVID-19 has significantly subsided.

Read the full statement on the ALA website.

ACRL Statement on Academic Libraries and COVID-19

The ACRL Board of Directors affirms the statement that ALA and the ALA Allied Professional Association (APA) have made regarding library services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Board strongly urge the closure of in-person services at academic and research libraries. In alignment with ALA and with APA, we also urge libraries to ensure that all library workers receive fully paid leave, including health coverage, while libraries are closed.

Read the full statement on ACRL Insider.

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LibGuides: Pandemic Resources for Academic Libraries: Home

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Skip to main content It looks like you're using Internet Explorer 11 or older. This website works best with modern browsers such as the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. If you continue with this browser, you may see unexpected results.

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A comprehensive website of global research on coronavirus disease (COVID-19) provided by the WHO

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WHO is bringing the world's scientists and global health professionals together to accelerate the research and development process, and develop new norms and standards to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and help care for those affected.

The R&D Blueprint has been activated to accelerate diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics for this novel coronavirus.

The solidarity of all countries will be essential to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 health products.

WHO COVID-19 Research Database

The WHO Covid-19 Research Database is a resource created in response to the Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Its content remains searchable and spans the time period March 2020 to June 2023. Since June 2023, manual updates to the database have been discontinued.

The WHO evidence retrieval sub-group has begun collaboration with key partners to enrich the citations and build a more comprehensive database with inclusion of other content. The database is built by BIREME, the Specialized Center of PAHO/AMRO and part of the Regional Office's Department of Evidence and Intelligence for Action in Health.

For further information or questions, please contact the WHO Library via email.

Disclaimer: the designations employed and the presentation of the material in publications listed in this database does not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of WHO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Dotted and dashed lines on maps represent approximate border lines for which there may not yet be full agreement. The mention of specific companies or of certain manufacturers' products in publications listed in the database does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by WHO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. Errors and omissions excepted, the names of proprietary products are distinguished by initial capital letters. By listing publications in this database and providing links to external sites does not mean that WHO endorses or recommends those publications or sites, or has verified the content contained within them. The database has been compiled without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. The responsibility for the interpretation and use of publications included in this database lies with the reader. In no event shall WHO be liable for damages arising from its use.

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Global research on coronavirus disease (COVID-19)

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Repository of latest international multilingual scientific findings and knowledge on COVID-19.

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International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) 

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International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) 

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IFLA's website contains key resources for libraries worldwide in responding to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Last update: 13 October 2020

Key Resources for Libraries in responding to the Coronavirus Pandemic

The information and resources below are provided on a non-exhaustive basis but will be updated regularly. It is based on publicly available information, and that submitted to updates@ifla.org. We welcome additional ideas, references, suggestions and corrections to this address. Please see also our FAQs specifically concerning IFLA.

Do note also the upcoming special issue of the IFLA Journal focused on innovations in libraries during the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, please see the call for submissions.

Understanding COVID-19 and its spread

Resources about the disease

Coronavirus refers to a family of viruses. COVID-19 - or Coronavirus Disease - is the infectious disease caused by a newly discovered type of coronavirus.

As the World Health Organization (WHO) has set out, most people infected with the COVID-19 virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without requiring special treatment. Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer are more likely to develop serious illness.

Common symptoms include fever, tiredness and a dry cough. Other symptoms include shortness of breath, aches and pains, sore throat, and very few people will report diarrhoea, nausea or a runny nose.

The best way to prevent and slow down transmission is be well informed about the COVID-19 virus, the disease it causes and how it spreads. The COVID-19 virus spreads primarily through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

Resources about latest cases

National authorities around the world are working to gather information about numbers of tests, infections and consequences. You should turn first to your national authorities for this information, as they should have the most recent data.

At the global level, the WHO is releasing daily updates on the situation. This information is used to build the WHO's dashboard on cases.

The Centre for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University is also maintaining a global map live, including figures on numbers of recovered patients. This is being used regularly in media reporting.

Library closures around the world

Libraries around the world are facing hard choices around which services to offer and how, ranging from minimal restrictions to full closure. We are aware that governments themselves are taking different approaches, sometimes ordering the closure of all institutions, others indicating that life should continue as usual, and others simply leaving decisions up to library directors.

Clearly any decision to restrict services or close a library is a difficult one and needs to be taken following an assessment of the relative risks.

We are currently aware of entire public library systems being closed in the following countries and territories: Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Bosnia, Brazil, the Cayman Islands, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, South Africa, Ukraine, and the United Arab Emirates.

In the meanwhile, libraries in the Aland Islands, Algeria, American Samoa, Andorra, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Australia, Austria, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Bermuda, Bhutan, Botswana, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, the Faroe Islands, Finland, France, French Polynesia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Guadeloupe, Guernsey, Hong Kong (China), Hungary, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Italy, Japan, Jamaica, Jersey, Latvia, Kenya, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao (China), Malaysia, Malta, Martinique, Moldovia, Morocco, Namibia, the Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Réunion, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Samoa, Seychelles, Singapore, Sint Maarten, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, St Lucia, St Martin, Svalbard, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, the United Kingdom and Viet Nam are beginning to re-open with precautions in place to protect health. Sweden, meanwhile, saw over 90% of municipalities keep libraries open, and 85% of municipalities even offer extended services. Libraries in the United States Virgin Islands re-opened in late July, but then were forced to close again in August. Libraries in the Czech Republic have, in the face of rising case-numbers, moved to cancel events again until the end of October.

Meanwhile, school libraries in 34 countries will have been affected by the closure of all educational institutions, while in others, at least some schools have been closed, according to figures from UNESCO. In many of these, university libraries are also closed.

National libraries too have closed to the public in Albania, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, Malawi, the Maldives, Mauritius, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Ukraine (Vernadsky), the United States of America, and Uruguay.

National libraries in Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Cabo Verde, Canada, the Cayman Islands, China, the Cook Islands, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, the Faroe Islands, Fiji, Finland, France, French Polynesia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Greenland, the Holy See, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Namibia, the Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, St Lucia, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine (Yaroslav the Wise), the United Kingdom, Uzbekistan and Viet Nam have now re-opened on a limited basis. Some have re-opened and subsequently closed, in response to wider developments, such as was the case with Albania.

We welcome updates to this information at updates@ifla.org.

Managing different approaches to restrictions

Libraries in different parts of the world are facing very different situations, from broadly maintaining a full service to complete closure.

Drawing on experience around the world, libraries and librarians are finding themselves in one of a number of situations:

Business (more or less) as usual: in some countries, cases of the virus have been limited and governments have not taken any specific measures. Nonetheless, normal recommendations around good hygiene apply. In this situation, libraries are, for example:

Ensuring access to soap and warm water

Ensuring they have a supply of hand sanitiser

Keeping surfaces clean, including toys and library computers

Ensuring that staff and users are encouraged to take time to recover if they are feeling ill, rather than coming in to work

Providing pages with useful links to reliable information for users on their websites and promoting media literacy faced with potential misinformation online.

Some restrictions: there are more cases, and governments are beginning to act in order to limit larger events, as well as actively encouraging people to take extra measures to protect hygiene. In this situation, libraries are, for example:

Reconsidering programming such as storytimes or workshops, especially for groups at risk such as older users. Additional efforts to ensure hygiene, including through disinfecting hard surfaces. Removing riskier items such as toys or virtual reality headsets from circulation.

Considering whether to close study spaces where people may spend a longer time in the company of others.

Preparing for potential further restrictions, for example by ensuring that all staff have the skills and tools to work remotely (if this is possible) and that services, as far as possible, can still be provided digitally.

Minimal service: in many countries there are stricter measures still, with tougher limits on public gatherings, specific warnings for people at risk, and closures in the most affected regions. In these situations, libraries are, for example:

Fully closing spaces and only offering the possibility to borrow or return books at a counter, or via a book drop. Some countries are experimenting with drive-through pick-up and return of books. Others are only allowing visitors who have pre-booked.

Implementing quarantine policies on returned books (see below for further details).

Implementing plans to offer remote services for example eLending, eLearning, or support to remote teaching

Finalising and testing measures for all staff to work remotely and allowing those who can to do so already.

Full closure: where measures are strictest, libraries have either been forced to close, or have chosen to do so following consideration of the risks to users and staff. In these situations, libraries are, for example:

Ensuring that all staff working from home unless completely necessary. Where staff are coming into work, ensuring that they can do so while respecting rules around social distancing

Librarians are being reassigned to other duties in other departments within their municipalities, for example using information management skills to support health and social services

Providing ongoing communication with users about opportunities to use library resources or services

Organising digital story-times where copyright permits

Promoting use of digital libraries and other tools - including potentially investing in more content/licences

Offering an amnesty on borrowed physical books, and increasing the number of eBooks users can borrow

Making library spaces and equipment available for other activities, such as printing personal protective equipment.

Raising awareness of digital offers, both on the front pages of their websites, and through putting up posters in the windows of library buildings.

Preparing for re-opening: in a number of countries, there are already steps towards lifting restrictions, at least partially, with libraries potentially part of this. Timings remains uncertain, and clearly safety should be a priority. In this situation, libraries are:

Starting to make plans for gradual reopening when rules, permissions and library buildings and resources themselves permit this to happen safely, and making necessary changes to library policies. Carrying out a risk assessment, focused both on library activities and the wider situation, can be a key part of this.

Setting limits on numbers of people using the library at any one time, and establishing how to enforce these (for example through advanced booking, ticketing, or using other means of counting numbers of users), as well as preventing situations where people may gather closely together, for example using one-way systems, limiting furniture, keeping reading rooms closed, or continuing to postpone programming, and keeping toilets closed

Implementing regular cleaning processes (including through short closures of the library), especially focused on surfaces where the virus appears to be able to last for longest (plastics, metals other than copper), or at least intensifying clearning

Developing click-and-collect or drive-through services in order to allow access to books without human contact

Developing protocols for how to respond if someone with symptoms is identified in the library

Ensuring that staff have the equipment and training necessary to stay safe, including consideration of screens if necessary, limiting contact as far as possible and enabling work from home for as long as possible, and provide regular updates

Making clear when it is impossible to open safely, and otherwise ensuring that those taking decisions understand the nature of library spaces, including through a gradual approach to resuming services only when each one is safe

Continuing to promote online services and resources in order to limit numbers looking to visit the library

Communicate clearly about all any new rules to library users, both online and onsite, and provide regular updates

Ensuring that plans are in place for a potential return to lock-down in case of new peaks in infection rates

Please see the section on re-opening libraries below for more information on this topic.

Staying safe at home and at work

In the light of the above, the WHO recommends in general that people should practice respiratory etiquette (for example, by coughing into a flexed elbow, or a tissue that they immediately throw away). People should also wash their hands or use an alcohol-based rub frequently, and not touch their faces, as well as maintaining distance from anyone who is coughing or sneezing. Known COVID-19 hotspots should be avoided, especially if you, or those you live with, are older or otherwise vulnerable (for example, you or they have diabetes, heart or lung disease).

People with mild symptoms who are otherwise healthy should self-isolate and contact their medical provider or a COVID-19 information line for advice on testing and referral. People with fever, cough or difficulty breathing should call their doctor and seek medical attention.

There are many more resources available on the WHO website. Furthermore, in precedence to the information given below, we encourage libraries to seek advice from your national public health agency, and of course to follow the guidance that already exists. Where libraries form part of wider institutions - such as universities or schools - it is desirable that they are involved in planning and management of crisis response, as has for example been the case at the Duque do Caixas campus of the Federal Library of Rio de Janeiro.

Handling materials

A key question for many in the library field has been around the risk of infection through contact with materials carrying coronavirus. Clearly our understanding of any aspect of how the virus is spread is still at a relatively early stage, and so it is not possible to offer definitive advice, other than the universal recommendations on keeping hands clean and not touching faces.

There is nonetheless emerging research (in the New England Journal of Medicine, and the Journal of Hospital Infection) into the survival of the virus, both in the air and on different types of surface. It appears that it survives for longer on plastics and steel, and for less long on cardboard or copper, although these tests took place in laboratory conditions and infection risk does fall over time.

Outside of the library field - for example in postal services - ordinary precautions appear to apply when handling paper or cardboard. What does seem more likely is that other surfaces - such as door handles, keyboards, mice, CDs and DVDs, toys or VR headsets - could carry the virus, and so should be regularly cleaned or removed from circulation.

Nonetheless, where there is a chance that a book or other piece of equipment has been in close contact with someone ill, it may be appropriate to wait or use safe cleaning practices. The general recommendation remains to take care - a point also echoed by the French government.

In order to provide as best as possible a response to the uncertainty that still exists, the Institute of Museum and Library Services in the United States has set up REALM (Re-opening Archives, Libraries and Museums), a partnership with OCLC and the Battelle Institute to explore further how to ensure safe handling, to which IFLA is contributing. This will look to assess the risks around particular materials and services, with a view to helping libraries make choices as they decide how to re-open and resume services.

The project has now published a first key output - a review of the available literature. This looks across research papers, both those which have and have not been subject to peer review yet, and coming from a variety of fields. It looks at evidence on transmission through the air and through proximity to those with the virus, on the virus' survival on different surfaces, and at the effectiveness of different approaches to cleaning. While this material will be helpful for those developing strategies, the authors are clear that research is still at an early stage, and evidence is coming from a wide range of different contexts.

The REALM project has also published the listen in to the webinar that took place on plan for testing the survival of the virus on different materials and surfaces, as well as a systematic review of the available literature. The first results from laboratory tests have also been released, underlining that after three days of quarantine, virus could not be detected on previously contaminated hardback and softback books, or on papers inside books, plastic covers and DVD covers. The second set of results focus on a new range set of materials is already being tested, including braille, glossy and magazine pages, children's board books and archival folders, and a third looking at plastics used for audiobooks, video or music, talking book or USB cassettes, acrylic display cases or partitions, plastic storage bags and plastic storage boxes. The materials to be tested in a fourth round - this time stacked together - has also been announced, and will cover DVD and CD cases, hardcover books, softcover books, plastic-coated books, and expanded polyethylene foam. This has found that the virus does indeed last longer in these situations. A fifth round of testing will focus on museums more commonly found in museums, although will also include leather book bindings. You can sign up for updates from the project via its newsletter, and 8 October..

Meanwhile, Libraries Ireland initially produced guidelines suggesting a 72h wait, at least in the case of materials which have been returned or handled since the start of lock-down, and proposed procedures for deliveries. The Australian Library and Information Association - based on government advice - has suggested that 24 hours is enough, an approach also adopted by the Library at the Duque do Caixas campus of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and libraries in Egypt, who are using sunlight to facilitate disinfection. The Czech government has suggested 48 hours should be enough, while Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium and the All-Russian Library of Foreign Literature are opting for 72h, Slovakia for five days, Argentina for two weeks, and France and the Kaslik Holy Spirit University in Lebanon for 10 days in the case of plastic-coated materials (72h for paper). Some, such as the Italian Ministry of Culture, Andalusian Library Association, the libraries of the National Autonomous University of Mexico and the Slovenian public health agency are suggesting longer still, although in the case of the Italian guidance, this has been questioned by the Italian Library Association. Similarly, the effects of quarantine on the possibility for students to access textbooks is becoming a concern in some US universities. A number of countries also note that spaces for consulting works should be easily cleaned.

Some of this guidance is now being relaxed, on the basis both of emerging evidence and in the light of reduced rates of prevalence of the virus. For example, quarantining is no longer mandatory in Flanders, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia, while in France, times have been reduced.

For materials with plastic covers, such as DVDs, cleaning with alcohol wipes has been suggested by the Australian Library and Information Association and others, allowing these to go back into circulation immediately. There are differing approaches to the merits of cleaning books, with the Austrian guidance suggesting that heat treatment will work, while others suggest that there may be risk to materials, and so quarantine is safer.

Meanwhile, the libraries of National Autonomous University of Mexico underline that books should not be kept in plastic bags. They have also set out a detailed protocol on how to manage returned or other incoming books to the library through a system of colour-coded zones associated with different activities.

Where users are working with course materials, the Dutch libraries authorities have recommended reducing risk and logistical issues by encouraging users to take these home (and to come with their own paper and pens), rather than leaving them at the library.

The Dutch library authorities has suggested, where this is possible, that mice and keyboards should be detached after use and returned to a central point in order to facilitate this process. Others, such as in Helsingborg, Sweden and Topeka, Kansas, plan to ensure presence of library staff to disinfect computers after use. The Danish guidance continues to warn against allowing public use of computers, given potential complexities in cleaning.

When handling newly returned materials, the Australian Library and Information Association (see link in the re-opening libraries section) recommends using gloves when handling newly returned books, and then throwing the gloves away immediately afterwards. Others have suggested though that gloves can also damage materials in some cases, and that regular hand-washing may also work. The French government guidance, for example, does not suggest gloves, but rather cotton overalls which can then be taken off and washed. The Croatian National and University Library (see links below) notes that legal deposit copies should also be treated with care, with the packaging in which they arrived removed carefully and thrown away in special bins.

Once gathered, clearly, the need to store books may cause logistical problems, especially for smaller institutions. French guidance suggests that if a dedicated room cannot be found, specific parts of the library should be used (and kept inaccessible from the public), or even external storage used. Furthermore, they suggest, there should be efforts to limit the number of staff working with such materials, and to provide them with adequate protective equipment. Noting the potential logistical issues that this may entail, some American guidance has noted the potential to use portable storage solutions.

Meanwhile, waste that may be contaminated may be usefully kept separate for a number of days, as the Estonian guidance suggests, in order to limit risks to others.

The Slovenian Public Health Institute (see translation in our section on re-opening libraries below) has also suggested that readers receiving works at home should also look to respect quarantining, waiting a number of days before opening packages, and then, if materials are not made of paper or card, either cleaning them or waiting further. The Czech guidance (see below) also suggests that readers should be made aware of risk, with those wanting to able to leave a book for a few days before using it. In this case, the guidance suggests that borrowing periods can be extended.

Meanwhile, for staff, basic hygiene measures, such as washing hands thoroughly with soap and water, avoiding touching the face, with a number of countries also recommending masks and gloves, at least where these do not harm materials.

Social Distancing and Delivery Services

Given that close physical contact appears to be the primary means of catching the virus, a core response has been 'social distancing' - keeping a safe distance between individuals in order to reduce the risks of the virus passing from one person to another. Coughing, sneezing, and even talking tends to mean that potentially contagious droplets are emitted into the air.

The recommended distance varies from country to country but appears not to be below 1m (3-4ft), and is often more. This may not always be possible. In the United States for example, we have seen libraries proactively ask authorities for closures where they feel that the risk to users and staff is too high.

See our section on reopening libraries below for more on the topic of enforcing social distancing within libraries.

For those libraries which are not yet open, many have maintained a focus on how to provide book deliveries to vulnerable groups and others, while taking full account of the need to safeguard health. We are likely to see such measures continue to be important as libraries re-open. Indeed, in Wuhan, China, library workers prepared library corners for patients. In the case of vulnerable users, as the Czech guidance underlines, utmost care needs to be taken to minimise risk.

For example, Radford College School library in Australia has a click-and-collect service for books, while Lane Cove (also in Australia), Godoy Cruz library in Argentina, The Hague in the Netherlands, and various Portuguese public libraries are doing deliveries, and on Svalbard, the library is working with taxi companies to give access to books, as is Veria Central Public Library in Greece. Around half of Swedish municipalities offer some sort of delivery or pick-up service, and in Denmark, Roskilde library has been proactively contacting previous recipients of home deliveries both to check in, and ask if they want to make reservations, now that this is possible again. The Central Library of Osaka Prefecture in Japan offers deliveries by post. Meanwhile, the State government of Western Australia has provided guidance on safe home deliveries. In Ethiopia, according to one news story, libraries are being placed on camels to ensure children in lock-down receive access. See also resources from library associations below for more.

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Providing services remotely

Libraries around the world of all sorts have been working hard to provide access to collections and services remotely, often investing time and effort in updating websites and computer systems in order to deal with demand. While many libraries already had a strong digital presence, many others have now moved to create one in order to continue serving members, such as the library at Al Iraqi University in Iraq. As highlighted in a survey by the Conference of Directors of National Libraries, ¾ of national libraries, for example, introduced new digital servicesservices, while a survey of public libraries in England found the same proportion of them had offered online services.

To take another example, the State Library of New South Wales surveyed public libraries in the state about their online activities during lockdown, finding for example that following physical closures, the share of libraries offering online programming jumped from 12% of respondents to 86%. Meanwhile, La Vanguardia in Spain produced a list of 40 ideas for libraries to continue to provide support remotely.

All types of library have promoted their digital services - for example, the Bibliothèque nationale de France is organising virtual exhibitions and other learning tools (especially over the summer months), and the National Library of Spain is promoting its digital content that can be used to support education, the US Library of Congress's Folklife Centre is running weekly concerts online, the National Library of Morocco is providing free eBooks, and the Public Library in Aarhus, Denmark, has put its digital content at the front of its website, while the Granby library in Quebec, Canada is highlighting content focused on learning new skills. The National Library and Information Service of Trinidad and Tobago's Heritage Library Division has even used the circumstances of the pandemic to accelerate its shift to providing a digital offer. American libraries too have sought to bring literacy programming online.

Kibera and Nakuru public libraries in Kenya - partners of EIFL's Public Library Innovation Programme - are promoting local language content around COVID-19 through social networks, as well as sharing book recommendations, while the Ghana Library Authority (another EIFL-PLIP partner) is also promoting access to its digital content alongside key health information. Kota public library in India too has increased its online services, promoting bibliotherapy as a means of helping users through the crisis, and receiving useful coverage in the local press.

School libraries in the United States are also working hard to provide materials in a format that allows parents to support their children's education at home. The Portuguese Network of School Libraries has produced a guide and a platform for school libraries, highlighting ways in which they can continue to fulfil their missions and suggesting tools and materials, even during the period of lockdown. In Uruguay too, school libraries have launched an online platform to continue to support reading among adolescents, while in Brazil, the library at the Marista Social School Santa Monica is working closely with teachers and through Microsoft Teams to engage with pupils to support learning, despite collections being unavailable.Those in Lakewood, Ohio, United States have even created a virtual library in order to bring back the feeling of coming in to check out a book. READ Bhutan has developed materials to support parents and children, working closely with schools and even broadcasting content. They have also been working to create alternative learning spaces if schools cannot re-open as planned. Across the United States, school libraries are having to adapt practices, with some allowing access, others making deliveries following online browsing, and some welcoming students in, but with a focus on digital skills in case lockdown measures are reintroduced.

Meanwhile in Iraq, the Al-Abbas Holy Shrine library is providing a remote lending service for researchers giving access to electronic resources. Meanwhile, health libraries are seeing major interest in the information they can make available, as is the case for the library of the Health Agency in Sao Paolo, Brazil.

Redwood City in the U.S. and Monash in Australia are providing storytimes for speakers of minority languages also, for example, while a librarian from the National Library of Pozega in Serbia is doing online storytimes that have hit the national news, while the Central Library of Osaka Prefecture, Japan is working with the institute for children's literature based in the same building (which itself works with publishers) to do the same. Similar efforts in Greece have also allowed libraries to stay in touch with their users, and even to run art projects. The Library of the National Autonomous Library of Mexico has organised a virtual party of readings for World Children's Day ( here and here), while American libraries, including the Library of Congress, have brought literature festivals online.

Clearly not all users are already familiar with digital tools. Libraries in Huesca, Spain, have responded by developing new training materials for users to help them make the most of these possibilities. Similarly, the Central Library at the University of Baghdad has launched training to help students make best use of digital tools available to them, while libraries in London, UK, have offered virtual IT training, in order to help people use sites and services other than Zoom.

Traditional efforts by libraries to produce collections of books and materials on topical issues have continued, with a strong focus on dealing with stress and worry, and promoting positive mental health, not least the National Library of Medicine in the United States. In Helsingborg, Sweden, the library has even brought in public health experts to offer talks for users, while the Chinese library field has placed a strong focus on spreading wellbeing and helping people respond to pressures, not least in Hubei Province.

Others are putting existing activities online and inventing new ones. The Library of Congress for example is organising a virtual transcribathon in order to engage people at distance, while the National Library of Norway us encouraging users to access its podcasts while in-person events are not possible. The Dutch National Library has teamed up with a writers' organisation to provide an 'author on your screen' service, while librarians in the United States have been able to use GoogleForms to create themed virtual escape rooms, many of which have been taken up and used by teachers to support education. A range of library crowd-sourcing initiatives is available via Library Journal.

Some public libraries have also worked to develop new possibilities to be in contact with librarians remotely. Danish libraries have set up an online Ask-a-Librarian reference service - and Aarhus has a service just for children. In Sweden, Helsingborg libraries have established a chat function on their website for the first time, as have many libraries in Malaysia. Johannesburg public libraries in South Africa are running video competitions to encourage young users to share digital skills with parents and grandparents, as well as to develop their own digital literacy abilities, and sharing the results on their Facebook page.

Similarly in academic libraries, there are efforts to provide remote access, for example through an online article request service at the East West University in Bangladesh, digital contacts at the Agricultural University Library of Colombia and the Veracruz University in Mexico, or through call-in hours at Rhodes University, South Africa. The library of the University of Malaya is developing tools to facilitate online discovery and evidence retrieval about the COVID-19 pandemic, preparing a poster to explain its work, and has set up a COVID-19 Evidence Retrieval Service to support doctors around the country answer questions. Meanwhile Abgu Papazian University library in Armenia has set up opportunities to contact librarians remotely, as has the Central Library of the Al Ameed University in Iraq.

Meanwhile, the Nahrain University Library in Iraq has expanded subscriptions to the national virtual library to ensure students can access this, alongside published theses, as has the Central Library of Wasit University and the El Alamein University library, Iraq, alongside making other titles available. Diyala University and Imam Al-Kadhum College Central Library, Iraq, like others, are making use of email to provide access to resources and respond to questions from students as well as through a messaging service. Rabindra Sadhan Girls' College, Assam, India, is doing the same, but through WhatsApp groups, given that these can work better on phones. Finally, Al-rawdha-Al-haydari Library in Iraq has been making more use of its website in order to promote electronic resources, as has Diyala University, Iraq, building new interfaces for access to materials.

In many countries, libraries' offer of free WiFi to users is a key part of their offer. In the United States, there has been a call on libraries to leave networks on so that users can access the internet from their cars if needs be. In Topeka County, in the US, bookmobiles equipped with WiFi routers are visiting communities with low connectivity. Elsewhere, tools such as TV White Space - a technology that uses parts of the radio-spectrum not used by other services to provide WiFi at distance - are operating through libraries to connect the unconnected. This can make a major difference for those who need the internet, for example, to learn. Others are offering access to Zoom subscriptions in order to help library users stay in touch with friends. In doing this, some libraries have had to deal with concerns around public access to subsidised WiFi (although the American Library Association has successfully lobbied for such restrictions to be lifted for now), or around public health concerns with people gathering in car parks.

The role of libraries as guardians of the historical record is as strong as ever. A post from Ithaka S+R highlights various initiatives to collect and preserve materials about the pandemic, while the International Internet Preservation Consortium is looking to coordinate efforts. Meanwhile, Columbia University has launched an archiving programme, as has the National Library of Spain, while Kingport Library in Tennessee, and Springfield County Libraries in Illinois, in the United States and the State Library of Victoria in Australia have asked members of the community to share their COVID-19 stories, and libraries in Huesca, Spain, for example, are encouraging children to write stories about their experiences, which at the same time helps them cope with the pressure they are feeling. The Association of Librarians and Archivists of Cameroon is working with the Bamenda University and the Ministry of Culture to coordinate archiving efforts in the country in order to preserve the lessons of the present.

Finally, the work of libraries to support research of course continues, with the Information Science department at the University of Kuwait for example helping to lead research into the way in which information spreads on social media concerning COVID-19.

With so many services on offer, libraries in a number of countries have been able to work with newspapers, radio stations and other communications channels in order to raise awareness.

Some activities and services may be impossible, for example with staff unable to come to work to carry out preservation activities. In response, the Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Material has prepared a guide, as has the French Association of Heritage Libraries.

Available resources

Clearly the possibility to use resources online depends a lot on the terms under which they are accessed. Fortunately, a lot of publishers and vendors have taken helpful initiatives. In the academic field, many have provided open access to materials related to COVID-19. Others have facilitated access by making it easier to log-in and access materials from outside of official networks.

Sometimes, libraries themselves have been able to provide much wider access, as has been the case with the National Library and Archives of Iran, which not only put the national children's library of 28 000 titles online for free, but also to open up its own Digital Library, which previously had only offered bibliographic data. They have seen a sevenfold increase in registered users, and more than doubled time for online consultations with researchers. The National Library of Albania also has focused strongly on building its offer of online materials, while the Central Library of Al Qadisiyah library in Iraq has made a range of materials in Arabic and English available online for free for the benefit of students.

With the first round of steps taken by publishers now lapsing, the need for longer-term solutions is pressing. As set out by Research Libraries UK, price freezes may not be enough at a time of falling budgets, and there are questions around the operation of markets for eBooks and eTextbooks.

Finally, and faced with the need to invest in new content and services in order to support users, the American Library Association has successfully argued for libraries to be included in the economic stimulus package announced by the government there. In addition, some library funders such as IMLS in the United States are offering grantees extra flexibility where it has been impossible to continue with previous projects because of COVID-19. In Barcelona, Quebec and Milan, Italy, we have seen library acquisition budgets increased as a means both of supporting local bookshops and building library collections.

Managing remote working

With libraries and library associations closing offices - where they have them - many in the library field are facing challenges around how to manage remote working effectively.

Reassigning library resources

Across the United Kingdom, there are lots of examples of librarians moving to work at contact centres for people in isolation, helping to ensure those often at most risk keep contact with the outside world, with the same happening in Auckland, New Zealand and Newmarket, Canada. Elsewhere, librarians have volunteered with community initiatives, or, as in Mexico, are working to improve the quality of Wikipedia articles about people from under-represented groups. A further list of types of redeployment at work in England is available Public Libraries News. At the local level, in Nepal, READ library centres have proved to be the best placed to gather and share information about the local situation in order to ensure the government can best respond.

Richland is also looking to provide key resources for people facing unemployment, as is Indianapolis Public Library. St Louis County Library is offering drive-thru meals for children, as is the Cincinnati Public Library and some Toronto Public Libraries are now acting as food banks. Libraries in Yarra, Australia, as well as in Monash, Australia, are supporting food deliveries to vulnerable families and people experiencing homelessness, while READ centres in South Asia are providing food rations, alongside masks and continuing to support vaccination efforts, as well, for example, as ambulance services in Nepal. Toronto Public Library, meanwhile, has joined in the city's annual Newcomers Day in order to make migrants, refugees and other new Torontonians feel welcome, and access information and services, while READ centres in Nepal have provided support to stranded migrant workers.

Meanwhile school libraries in Oklahoma City are handing out books to children - as are some state libraries in Malaysia for the benefit of children in quarantine - while the Walloon guidance underlines possibilities to give schools access to library collections, at least until re-opening. Penn State University library is giving laptops and other equipment out to students who would otherwise not be able to continue to study from home, as is the library of the UPM Higher Technical School of Engineers in Spain.

Library spaces and equipment have also been repurposed, with libraries in San Francisco serving as childcare facilities for the children of key workers and Loussac Library in Anchorage, Alaska serving as an emergency coordination centre, while in Spokane, Oregon, the library is acting as a homeless shelter, and in San Luis Obispo, California, the library carpark is being made available as a safe space for people forced to live in their cars. In Oakland, California, bookdrops are being used now to collect spare masks. In Kansas City, the library is serving as a testing centre for COVID-19.

In Klaipedia, Lithuania, thanks to a cooperation between the National Library and the School of Robotics, library 3D printers are being used to print 3D protective equipment and items such as door-handles. Libraries in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, France, Malaysia and Portugal are doing likewise, while Columbia University is sharing approved designs for these so that anyone with a 3D printer can help. Preservation departments in American libraries are donating existing equipment. In Valpattanam GP Library, India, staff have been collecting cloth masks made by locals for further distribution.

This is not to forget books! The State Library of Western Australia's offer of 'mystery boxes' of library materials was rapidly over-subscribed, and Kansas City Library in the U.S. has been delivering bags of books to deprived areas. Similarly, in Montevideo, Uruguay, public libraries have set up an itinerant book service, visiting in particular soup kitchens and other places where it is possible to lend works to people in need.

Reopening Libraries

Moves towards the reopening of libraries are increasingly on the agenda as countries look to lift broader restrictions. In the case of schools, sometimes the library remains closed, even if lessons have begun again (the case in Logumkloster, Denmark). Decisions will of course need to be based on overall assessments of risk from the authorities. The Japanese Library Association's guidance suggests a four-stage process, for example, analysing risks from surfaces, close contacts with people, the ways in which people use the libraries, and overall levels of infection in the region. The guidance from Libraries Connected in the UK also includes a deep look at how to assess risks.

Most examples so far focus on a phased approach, with new services, activities and parts of the library only resumed when this can happen safely, with some associating the shift from one phase to the next to wider progress in tackling the pandemic, while others are more cautious in setting dates. As the Australian Library and Information Association has set out (see below), a useful approach is to start by assessing risk, then developing plans, and only then setting timings for resuming different services. It may also be the case, of course, that partner organisations are not yet open, which will also have an impact.

Broadly, the library field has warned against any rush to re-open physical buildings. Even if other services or buildings are re-opening, the specific nature of library services may make them unsuited to re-open until the situation has improved further, as set out in the Flemish (Belgian) guidance of 9 June. There have already been cases of libraries needing to re-close following re-opening before overall levels of virus in the community and procedures were in place. Similarly, a resurgence of the virus has already led, for example, to the closure of all but contactless book loans in Quebec, Canada.

Furthermore, given uncertainty about how the situation will develop, it is possible that stricter rules will need to be implemented subsequently, and so the possibility of returning to lock-down should be borne in mind (indeed, West Virginia recommends continuing to work from home one day a week so that the habit is not lost). At the end of this section, you will find a selection of plans already established.

Limiting numbers in the library

One step being taken to reduce risks is to limit the number of people in the library at any one time. This makes it easier to maintain social distance. In Macao (China), the public libraries are using a ticketing system to limit numbers in the library, a step also taken in Hong Kong (China) during a recent phase of re-opening. The The National Library of Serbia in its first phase of re-opening allowed only 5 people into its reading room, while some school libraries in Geneva, where they have opened, are letting just one pupil in at a time.

The National Library of Croatia has set a 200 person limit, with an app available to allow people wanting to use the library to see if there are spaces available, and the Russian State Library also planning to set a limit of 100-150 people, also by appointment. Meanwhile, in Guangzhou, China, figures have been set as a percentage of normal user numbers. In Poland, at least early on, the National Library's efforts to limit numbers were helped by people's ongoing caution about going outside, meaning that it was possible to avoid imposing restrictions.

Tokyo Main Library (part of the National Diet Library of Japan) is limiting access to previously registered researchers, rather than handing out day passes for the moment, as has the National Library of France in its first phase of re-opening. Similarly, the National Library of Ireland only plans to start issuing in-person reader passes from 20 July.

For the National Library of Luxembourg, the number of people admitted to the library will also be increased as the threat level falls.In order to allow more people to access the library, people can only make up to 3 reservations a week, subject to availability of space, and also limit the number of books that can be pre-ordered to 10 for any one visit. The Library has also set out how many items of different types of collections can be reserved at any one time.

The focus on encouraging (or obliging) pre-ordering of materials is a common theme, in order to allow libraries (including national libraries) to be ready for when readers are there, and so avoid waiting or last-minute searches, as for example in Ireland, which will even deliver books to a pre-allocated desk.

The Dutch library system has recommended providing baskets or bags (which act as 'entry tokens', making it easy to count up to a maximum number of people - see the links below), others have suggested other means which involve less disinfection. The Dutch have also suggested that groups of no more than two people at any one time can enter the library, as have the Estonians, who suggest a 2+2 rule with groups of no more than two people, at least 2m apart. The State Library of Liechtenstein proposes to use an automatic system, with 'stop' and 'go' signs depending on whether there is enough space in the library.

Given that numbers wanting to use the library may be unpredictable (from smaller numbers in one Finnish example at first to rapid over-subscription in Shizuoka/Namazu in Japan), others are discussing options to book visits in advance in order to manage the number of people coming to the library at any one time - a practice already implemented by the German National Library and the National Library of China. Similarly, other library services - such as printing, scanning or other support - can also be made appointment-only, as is proposed in West Virginia, or digital printing from mobile devices is encouraged, as at the National Library of Portugal.

In order to allow more people the opportunity to visit, the Czech Library Council has suggested that one option could also be to limit time in the library, a point echoed by other guidance. Hong Kong (China) also plans to re-open for periods of no more than 1h (followed by short breaks) in order to limit stays, with Shanghai also setting a limit of 1h, as is the National Library of Malta.

Other options considered in Chicago, United States, for example include providing services outside where possible, and limiting certain opening times to particular groups, such as older users (an idea also explored by the Czechs). In Portugal too, the idea of giving priority to vulnerable groups is set out in the official guidance (also in the Libraries Connected guidance in the UK), with the need to help people who do not have home internet access highlighted, both of which points are also highlighted in the Belgian guidance. Utrecht Libraries in the Netherlands have identified 'quiet hours' where people in risk groups can safely use the library for reading and learning. Libraries may also need to plan for personal protective equipment when it is necessary to be close to someone in order to assist them, as in Japan. The National Library of Ireland, for example, originally only allowed groups particularly affected by COVID-19 to visit its exhibitions for the first two weeks of opening. Others, such as Qatar National Library, have opted to set minimum and maximum age restrictions, in order to manage risks to both users and staff.

There are also efforts to reduce the need to come to the library. For example, Macao (China) has sought to do this by continuing to extend loan periods and encouraging people to use online services as far as possible (also at the University Library). Hong Kong (China) has also allowed for unlimited renewals and waived fines at its academic libraries, while Guangzhou public library (China) has increased the number of times books can be renewed online.

Calculating the right number is a key current issue. Many libraries have sought to follow the guidance given to the retail sector, although this also varies, from allowing 20m2 per person in Ireland, Portugal and Slovenia to 15m2 in Poland, Slovakia and Belgium, 12.6m ² in the United Kingdom, 10m2 in the Czech Republic and Austria, 10m2 for adults and 5m2 for children in the Netherlands, 15 per 100m2 in Croatia, and 4m2 in Australia, Estonia, France, Latvia, Qatar and Romania, and 3m2 in Mexico. Some of these restrictions have started to be lifted, however, with the Netherlands ending limits on numbers of people in buildings from 1 July, while the National Library of China uses a moving maximum, depending on the wider public health situation.

This may raise issues around privacy, as highlighted by the Japanese Library Association's Intellectual Freedom Committee. The American Library Association's Intellectual Freedom Committee has indeed produced guidelines around relevant aspects of re-opening, and measures that may be proposed as part of contact-tracing or other elements of pandemic response efforts. Similarly, CILIP in the United Kingdom has prepared an advisory note, underlining that any schemes introduced should not be a deterrent to library use, impact people from marginalised groups or those subject to safeguarding, or damage the right to privacy. Moreover, data should be kept separate from other data collected, be done with sufficient capacity (including to delete data), and offer clarity over volunteers' status.

Limiting concentration of users

A further step being taken by some is to limit the number of sections of the library open to people. Importantly, even if there may be enough space in theory for people to respect social distancing, the use of certain facilities may make this more complicated, as highlighted in the guidance provided by French library associations.

This has been the case in Hong Kong (China), as well as in Macao (China), which has kept a number of areas (children's reading areas, meeting rooms, self-study areas) inaccessible. The Czech Library Council has also recommended potentially limiting services just to loans, at least at first, and some school libraries in Geneva are doing the same. Meanwhile, Dutch libraries are planning to open for use by groups of children, but not at times when the library is open to other users, and with gathering points outside. In Romania, the first spaces to open were ones with access to WiFi, with readers requested to bring their own materials.

Meanwhile, the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia is using Libcal and facial recognition technology to do the same, limiting human contact. In Sweden, only one in two public computers can be used, and the length of time allowed on there is restricted. Others have sought to space computers out, for example using different parts of the building for computers in anticipation of demand for use (as in Topeka, Kansas), or will aim to reserve use for those who do not have internet at home (as in Belgium).

There are differing approaches to access to books - some suggest allowing this but recommending not touching books unless users definitely plan to borrow them (as in the Netherlands). Indeed, federal libraries in the United States were almost equally split on the question of providing access to stacks. Most plan to keep shelves inaccessible at first, and only allowing librarians themselves to fetch works (as in Slovenia, Portugal and Russia). The Danish guidance notes the importance of avoiding opening the library without staff, given difficulty in enforcing rules.

Organising events and activities

In those countries where re-opening is more advanced, there are already plans on how to make events possible again. To a large extent, this has been made possible by falls in rates of infection, and, in some areas, a lack of infections altogether.

In Austria, for example, it is already possible to hold events with up to 100 people indoors, and from 1 July, the limit will be increased to 250 people indoors and 500 people outdoors. In these situations, rules about social distancing (1m) continue to apply, except for people living together (groups of up to four), and with an obligation to wear face masks when entering and leaving, as well as during events when it is not possible to maintain distance.

The Slovak guidance also allows for events of up to 100 people, but with 2m distance between people not living in the same household, and also provision of gloves. The Flemish guidance, for now, recommends groups only of up to 20, and only if social distancing can be maintained, with further relaxation planned from 1 July, but big events still forbidden until 1 September. One option, at least where the weather permits, may be to hold events outside where risks are lower, as suggested by the Czech guidance (see below), as well as in the guidance released by the National Library of Poland, although in the latter case, there is still a limit of 150 people.

In organising events, the National Library of Poland guidance stresses the need for full training of staff and volunteers, and rapid planning if someone is found to have symptoms. In line with the Ministry's guidance, safe spacing between participants, careful management of entries and exits. Meanwhile in Myanmar, classes to teach local languages and cooking have started up again, with extra precautions to allow for safety and distance.

As throughout the pandemic, the importance of high standards of hygiene is a key theme, for example ensuring that staff have the possibility to wash their hands frequently, access to materials such as gloves and facemasks, and that hand sanitiser is available at the entrance (and potentially next to equipment such as computers). In particular, regular handwashing by staff continues to be strongly recommended (both before and after contact with materials), as well as the provision of bins for tissues or other potentially contaminated material (pedal bins may be ideal, as suggested by the Flemish guidance). As noted in the Andalusian guidance, it may be necessary to employ more cleaning staff, or to extend hours. They can be supported in identifying the surfaces at most risk, and give these the attention necessary.

For activities that may require more direct contact - such as support with using computers, where this is allowed, best efforts should be made to maintain distance. Kaslik Holy Spirit University in Lebanon has recommended that both the user and staff member in this case should wear masks.

Where this is not possible, some libraries are installing screens in order to protect both users and library and information workers. Similarly, where payments need to be made for services, contactless has been recommended, such as in Switzerland, or charges have simply been scrapped, such as for printing. Nonetheless, it may be important to reflect on how to ensure that this move does not exclude vulnerable groups who may not have access to cards, as highlighted in Canadian guidance. Similarly, the Libraries Connected guidance in the UK sets out equalities considerations for any re-opening plan.

Meanwhile, staff are using stylus pointers to indicate which computers visitors can use in Helsingborg, Sweden, while in Portugal it is recommended to leave doors open as far as possible in order to avoid the need to open them each time.

Additional steps include closing toilets (as in the Czech Republic), restricting their use or intensifying cleaning schedules, closing the library as a whole for short periods throughout the day in order to clean (as in Macao, China, Slovakia, or at the National University Library of Croatia and Qatar National Library), or once for a deep clean (as in Alberta, Canada), and regular cleaning schedules, especially of surfaces which are regularly touched. Users too are being encouraged to play their part, with cleaning materials made available so that they can sanitise surfaces and objects they have touched. It may be useful to carry out an audit of which surfaces are at highest risk, as done by the National Library of China. In some cases, it may be possible to adapt parts of reading rooms in order to permit safe access, as was promoted early on by the National Library of Luxembourg.

Materials that may be touched frequently, such as magazines and newspapers, may need to remain inaccessible until the risk is low enough, or only be accessible to people with gloves and masks (as in some Estonian libraries). Similarly, the Kaslik Holy Spirit University in Lebanon suggests preventing use of manuscripts, rare books and other older material for the time being, while the Flemish guidance suggests that it may be legitimate to focus permissions on the most necessary consultations (for example for legal processes, rather than local history or genealogical study). Public libraries in Shanghai, also, have prioritised in-person access to particular collections, while keeping others online-only for now. It may also be necessary, as the Portuguese guidance explains (see below) to provide extra training for cleaners.

A further question is around how much library users should bring in from outside of the library. The Dutch guidance, for example, suggests that users should bring their own pens and course material for small group activities, and try not to leave it in the library. The CILIP School Libraries Group and UK School Library Association suggests that as far as possible, materials such as coats should stay outside in order to reduce contamination risks.

It may also be worth ensuring that libraries have a plan for how to deal with situations where someone displays symptoms, for example by having relevant phone numbers accessible, and setting aside a room where it is possible to isolate a suspected victim, as set out in the Japanese and Polish guidance, and identify which surfaces may have been contaminated. Similarly, the South African regulations mandate that a relevant space should be identified.

Throughout this, clear communication with users is important, in order to ensure that they understand the rules in place. Where users cannot be expected to understand - for example, children or those with cognitive impairments - alternative approaches may be necessary, as set out in the French guidance.

As time has gone on, libraries in some countries have been able to lift some restrictions, with, for example, libraries in the Czech Republic no longer requiring users to wear face masks or practice social distancing from 1 July.

A further emerging issue is the need to ensure that authorities and experts know how libraries work, and in particular, how much contact they see, in order to avoid assumptions and mistaken recommendations, as has happened in the US.

Keeping Staff Safe

Clearly a priority is to ensure that staff are fit, well, and comfortable in providing services - indeed, this may also be a legal obligation. Ways of doing this include the hygiene measures mentioned above (indeed, the National Library of Poland has suggested that no library should re-open unless librarians can be properly equipped), as well as clear consultation and explanation of decisions and plans, and regular briefings and reminders (as for example in Roskilde, Denmark). The Danish official guidance underlines the need to engage staff associations and unions in re-opening decisions. The National Library of China is in regular contact with staff to ensure that they are healthy and well looked-after, while West Virginia puts a strong emphasis on mental health, and coping with the situation of being around others again. Canadian guidance also underlines the need for special attention to stress, given the uncertainty still faced. Many federal libraries in the United States are planning to bring staff back to work in phases.

As libraries re-open, many are doing so only for limited hours every day, and are allowing staff to work in shifts, as has been recommended by the Czech Library Council, as well as limiting meetings and staggering breaks (as suggested in Poland), only allowing meetings when there is a big enough available space or setting time limits (as in Senegal), or limiting meetings as far as possible or only allowing one member of staff to use kitchens, toilets or common areas at a time, as at the Library of Congress in Argentina. In Helsingborg, Sweden, libraries are timing these to ensure that librarians can avoid rush hours also, and in Portugal, the Directorate General for libraries has recommended staggered shifts. In some cases, staff are being welcomed back at work before libraries are open to the public, as has been in the case in Cologne, Germany, in order to carry out some of the tasks necessary for re-opening to happen safely and efficiently, as well as at the National University Library of Croatia.

Nonetheless, the National Library of China, amongst others, has continued to promote home working as far as possible. Staff are only called to come in if really needed, and then work in shifts to minimise contact, ensuring that no more than 25% of the usual number of personnel are at work at any one time. The National Library of Albania, in its re-opening strategy, passed from having 30% of staff working in the office to 70% in a second phase, while the libraries of Laval, in Canada, have made calculations around the numbers necessary to provide services at different stages.

In Croatia, the guidance is, where possible, to run two shifts, with an hour between them in order to allow for cleaning. In Switzerland, for example, it is suggested that ideally, staff should sit one to an office, and in Cologne, Germany, no more than two, with common areas, for example, transformed into office spaces to provide more room. Cologne is also looking to keep different teams apart by continuing to use digital meeting tools. In Western Australia, it has been suggested that staff should stay with a single computer throughout their shift.

Similar rules will apply for other areas where staff work - for example, the Slovak National Library (see below) has also made suggestions about how to keep use of official vehicles safe. The guidance for Alberta, Canada, suggests also that staff should have their own space or locker to keep their things as a further step to limit risks of infection.

Countries will have their own approaches to the health measures that can be required of staff, although the general recommendation is not to come to work if symptoms are experienced. The National University Library of Croatia suggests that staff should all check their temperature each morning before coming to work. The Library of Congress of Argentina sets out a protocol for how to respond if a member of staff shows symptoms, and the actions for other staff members present to take.

Still, it has been noted in the United Kingdom, for example, that many libraries are also likely to need to work with a reduced staff, given sickness, family obligations, or self-isolation, for some time to come. Volunteers too may not yet be ready to return to work, especially if they are older or have underlying health conditions, which may cause delays to re-opening in some countries (and indeed, West Virginia has suggested they should be the last).

As a result, libraries in a number of countries are running shorter opening times, and looking to increase efforts to promote staff wellbeing, an activity recommended for example in the guidance from Libraries Connected in the UK, alongside a range of other issues to bear in mind in order to ensure safety. In other cases, as mentioned in Andalusia, Spain, there may simply not be enough staff to open safely. The Norwegian guidance indeed suggests that running libraries under restrictions may take more staff than usual, and so it could be helpful that staff placed on temporary assignment elsewhere should return.

Overall, as the Portuguese guidance states, a key way to keep staff safe is to keep them informed, in particular when guidance changes. This will also leave them better placed to help users respect the rules too.

Handling Materials

Please see the section above.

Public Communication

Given current uncertainty, and often the complexity of the process of lifting restrictions, libraries planning for this have also tended to include a focus on communications - indeed, this is part of the recommendations set out by the German Library Association (see below). As the Australian guidance notes, there may indeed be more questions than usual from users unsure about what is possible or not. The Canadian guidelines echo this, stressing the need to explain the changes to services, and to help users adjust to the fact that things may not be the same as before.

Channels outside of those owned by libraries can also help, for example using local radio stations or TV, or posters, as in the Guangzhou metro.

Supporting the recovery

Even as they have to deal with new clusters of COVID-19 cases, governments around the world are also working to deal with the consequences of the pandemic. These are particularly challenging when it comes to issues such as education (where as UNICEF has reported, at least a third of schoolchildren worldwide have been completely cut off from remote learning possibilities) and employment, where people risk being left behind.

For example, articles and other materials are beginning to appear underlining the role that school libraries can play in closing literacy gaps, or that public libraries can play in helping people overcome the trauma of the pandemic.

Library associations have started to bring these arguments together in order better to support library advocacy. For example, Libraries Connected in the United Kingdom has produced resources showing how libraries respond to key individual and community needs.

Plans for re-opening around the world

Below are some examples of plans emerging. You can also consult the overview prepared by IFLA dated 6 June. See also the overview from Ithaka S+R of plans for re-opening in the autumn term among American university libraries

Argentina: the Library of Congress of Argentina has published its protocol for safe re-opening in an English version, including useful infographics for use with staff and users.

Australia: the Australian Library and Information Association has provided a useful checklist, setting out steps to take around communication, social distancing, safety precautions, staff support, community support and operations.

Austria: the library association has developed guidance on how to re-open safely, drawing on international experience and practice.

Belgium: the Flemish Library Association has produced a page on re-opening, drawing together relevant information from a range of sources into a set of guidance ( translated into English by IFLA). This has been updated as of 9 June ( Dutch, translated into English by IFLA). Meanwhile, the government of French-speaking Belgium has published a circular ( translated into English by IFLA), and the library association has developed an infographic for use in libraries to help inform visitors. There is also guidance for adult education (which also applies to libraries).

Colombia: the National Library of Colombia has produced an infographic setting out the process to be followed towards the re-opening of libraries, helping the library community to understand the decisions to be taken, and the conditions that must be fulfilled for this

China: A number of details about the process followed for the re-opening of libraries in China are available in the article published by IFLA's Asia-Oceania Section.

France: library associations in France have collectively produced a statement to government warning about premature opening of libraries, and guidance ( translated into English by IFLA) on what services may be offered at different stages of the lifting of restrictions, and how to minimise risk. The government has also issued guidance (dated 4 June, translated into English by IFLA). Further guidance was published on 21 September, reflecting further possibilities for events, including making toys available for children (if regularly cleaned). There is also an infographic to explain the phases. The National Library of France has also published instructions to visitors on its re-opening plans on its website.

Further insights are available in the Hong Kong (China): the Hong Kong Library Association has shared information about plans for re-opening in academic libraries. Information about plans for public libraries is available on the Hong Kong Public Library website. article prepared for IFLA's Asia-Oceania Section.

Hungary: the Hungarian Library Institute has produced an overview of efforts on re-opening around the world.

Iran: the Iranian Public Library Federation has published guidance for libraries which are starting to re-open, including suggestions on alternative means of providing services, and care for staff and users.

Ireland: the National Library of Ireland has published its plans for re-opening safely, with visits on appointment since 29 June, and a planned return to normal service from 31 August.

Italy: the Italian Library Association has published a review of the literature and its suggestions for rules to follow as libraries re-open.

Lebanon: the Kaslik Holy Cross University in Lebanon has published its plan for re-opening, including for handling materials, providing services, and for the safety of users and staff.

Liechtenstein: the State Library has set out its instructions for users following its re-opening.

Lithuania: The National Library of Lithuania has set out its guidance for visitors following re-opening.

Luxembourg: the National Library has set out its own five-stage plan for re-opening on its website.

Malaysia: Some details on processes followed for re-opening feature in the article prepared by Malaysian librarians for IFLA's Asia-Oceania Section.

Malta: the National Library has published its regulations for use of its two sites, highlighting a requirement to wear masks throughout, and limited access to equipment.

Saudi Arabia: The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology has published instructions to users for its re-opening, including, at first, limiting access to graduate and post-doctoral students and staff, and forbidding meetings and other gatherings.

Senegal: The Cheijk Anta Diop University Library in Dakar has set out its own plans, in coordination with those for the university as a whole, including restrictions on services and numbers of users, and encouragement to use electronic means of communication. Serbia: The National Library has started to re-open, sharing a report about initial steps being made to promote hygiene and limit contact.

South Africa: the South African government has published regulations for re-opening libraries, underlining in particular maximum capacities (30% for reading rooms, 10% for computer areas) and the need for distancing and spaces for symptomatic cases.

Switzerland: the Library Association has produced guidelines complementing broader information produced for all establishments. IFLA has provided an English translation of these.

Trinidad and Tobago: the National Library and Information Service has published a short overview of its plans, including rules on wearing masks, and when ISBN services can re-open.

United Kingdom: the CILIP page on COVID-19 includes resources to help prepare for re-opening as a formal plan is developed with the relevant government departments, with suggestions already posted for school libraries. The page includes suggested checklists for school libraries to use before opening. CILIP has also already sent a letter to employers highlighting the need to assess and minimise risks before re-opening. Libraries Connected has also now produced detailed guidance aimed at library directors, considering risk-assessment, who should come to work, social distancing for workers, keeping users safe, cleaning the workplace, personal protective equipment, workforce management, and inbound and outbound books and other goods. Libraries Connected is tracking the experience of libraries as they re-open, and has also prepared an advocacy resource pack for libraries in order to help members engage with local government in order to safeguard essential funding and so continue to offer services, as has Libraries Connected in the public library sector.

restrictions, as has United States: The American Library Association has brought together a wide range of resources on re-opening on its website, including plans and other materials. At the state level, New Mexico State Library in the United States has set out plans for a phased re-opening, and a table and comprehensive blog from Idaho looks at what the stages of lifting restrictions could look like in libraries with lots of helpful ideas. Public libraries in the state of Georgia in the United States have also published a sample plan for libraries in taking decisions about staffing and services in different phases of the lifting of West Virginia and Indiana. The State Library of Montana has shared three examples ( here, here and here). The coordinator for public libraries in Alaska has also set out the issues in a presentation, as has the Colorado Library Consortium, the Connecticut Library Consortium, and the Massachusetts Library Association. The Idaho Commission for Libraries has shared a range of examples of re-opening plans from libraries of different sizes, which may be helpful. There are also specific guides for kerbside pickup from Illinois and Vermont.

Actions by Associations, National Libraries and library partners

Associations and Library Authorities

Library associations themselves are doing great work to inform their members and support them in difficult times. Many have set up pages with lists of reliable sources and guidance at the national level - complementing advice at the global or regional levels - and encouraged communication and coordination between library directors in order to share ideas and practice. Others are providing useful support for planning, both for the management of staff and buildings, and for the development of online services, through useful checklists and courses.

See in particular the following association pages:

Argentina: the Association of Qualified Librarians of the Republic of Argentina (ABGRA) has published a report on the response of libraries to the COVID-19 pandemic (in Spanish). This highlights in particular how important building a profile and providing services over social media became, and the need for national platforms of digital materials.

Australia: Australian Libraries Responding to COVID-19. ALIA has also made its Professional Development Postings freely available for the duration of the crisis, has launched a page of activities continuing during the pandemic, and is preparing a relief fund. ALIA has also published an interim report on libraries' response to COVID-19. With libraries re-opening, ALIA has launched a 'We're back' communications campaign, encouraging users to share what they missed while the library was closed. There are also efforts at the state level to analyse experience so far, for example that carried out in New South Wales, which highlighted both successes and challenges encountered.

Austria: the library association is providing valuable information to libraries about procedures for safe re-opening as well as sharing government advice, and has transformed its teaching activities into eLearning.

Belgium: Libraries and Archives Should Close for Visitors (in Dutch)

Bulgaria: Resources for Librarians in Responding to COVID-19 (in Bulgarian)

Cameroon: the Association of Librarians and Archivists of Cameroon has organised discussions between members using WhatsApp in order to identify future priorities, and is working with the Ministry of Culture and Bamenda University to coordinate archiving efforts around the Pandemic.

Chile: The Chilean Librarians' Association is working with a local NGO to collect stories about access to health information in order to strengthen advocacy in future.

China: The Library Society of China and the National LIbrary have shared a full summary of all of the activities that the association and libraries across China have been undertaking to support communities, from government to citizens.

Colombia: the Association of Colombian Librarians prepared a webinar (in Spanish, working with the IFLA LAC Section) on ideas on how librarians can respond

Croatia: the Croatian Library Association has set up a dedicated page with information on remote services, a data aggregation point on COVID-19 for libraries, access to virtual meeting services and electronic resources.

Czech Republic: the Czech library association has prepared an information page which includes health advice, updates on the government's response, and ideas on how to work with copyrght and privacy laws at the time of the pandemic.

Ghana: Ghana LIbrary Authority is promoting registrations for digital library cards, and has made resources available for libraries and users through its resource page.

Korea (Republic of): Statement on the Coronavirus Situation.

India: both the federal and state library associations have been active offering online training both related to COVID-19 and wider professional development, with the Karnataka state association offering an ongoing series. The National Librarians' Day on 12 August provided an opportunity for further reflection about the future of the field, for example through webinars organised by the Federation of Health Science Library Associations.

Indonesia: the Library Association of Indonesia has carried out a number of initiatives, including digital publications summarising relevant laws and regulations, scientific insights and analysis, rules in place on social gatherings, and a glossary on COVID-19, as well as continuing to support the profession in other ways throughout the pandemic. Iraq: The Iraqi Association of Libraries and Information has organised webinars focused on the role of digital libraries at the time of Coronavirus, as well as on broader digital transformation.

Italy: Where to Find Information (in Italian) offers an overview of national laws, sources of advice, and proposals on how to provide service while protecting privacy and health.

Malaysia: there is an extensive collection of examples of activities undertaken by libraries, and in particular the national library association, during the pandemic, presented on the pages of IFLA's Asia-Oceania section.

Myanmar: The Myanmar Library Association, in a successful cooperative effort, has run an active programme of online training and discussion for members, especially para-professionals, dissemination of information about COVID-19 and how libraries elsewhere are responding, and has developed its own guidance. The Association is also continuing to support a project to develop school libraries across the country.

Nigeria: the Nigerian Library and Information Science Students' Association has organised a series of lectures for its members over a series of days.

Puerto Rico: The Association of Librarians of Puerto Rico has launched a campaign around misinformation about COVID-19 (in Spanish)

Romania: the Association of Romanian Librarians has organised classes, webinars and working sessions to help members deal with the pandemic, as well as starting a public campaign #thelibraryfromhome. The Association has also collected data about libraries and services, while the wider field has supported overall efforts through 3D-printed protective equipment, supporting research, and combatting misinformation.

Serbia: the national library association has chosen to focus the next edition of its journal on the work of librarians during the pandemic.

Spain: the Network of Academic Libraries has prepared a resource page (in Spanish)

United States: The American Library Association has brought together its resources on recovery from COVID-19 onto a single page, including sections on advocacy and policy, education, data and research, and guidance content and protocols. The association's very useful Pandemic Preparedness toolkit is also still available. See also the resources gathered by ALA's Public Programs Office, and the webinar on remote service provision, and in their eBook on disaster preparedness, which has now been made open access. There is also this resource page prepared by the American Association of Law Libraries and the one by the American Association of School Librarians, which includes snapshots of the situation in school libraries and links to other key resources, as well as , the results of the Public Library Association's survey of how public libraries are responding, and this page on pandemic preparedness by the American Association of School Libraries.

Zimbabwe: the Zimbabwe Library Association has shared international experience, as well as looking to set up webinars, as well as to define points for advocacy around access to affordable e-libraries.

Furthermore, the Chinese Library Society has worked with the National Library to provide online learning while the Latvian Library Association has turned its conference into an online event combined with a social media campaign. The National Diet Library of Japan, as part of its support to the profession, has been monitoring and publishing update on the situation, as has saveMLAK (an organisation focused on helping libraries, archives and museums in times of crisis). The School Libraries Network in Portugal has both guidance and a platform to support school librarians in continuing to deliver on their missions, while the Information and Communication faculty at the University of Uruguay has collected examples of what libraries of all types across the country are doing in response to the pandemic

Other associations and organisations are active. CLIR has organised resources on COVID-19 on a special page, while the Association of Research Libraries has analysis of what academic and research libraries in the US and Canada are doing. The African Library and Information Association (AfLIA) is collecting examples of what libraries are doing in Africa and has a page on how libraries can respond plus a resource page, as is Infotecarios in Latin America (working with the Colombian Librarians' Association (ASCOLBI), LIBER for academic libraries in Europe and EBLIDA has developed a checklist of actions members can take. NAPLE in Europe has produced a valuable report highlighting the situation across 20 members as the pandemic arrived and took hold. This has since been updated with a review of measures being taken as libraries work to re-open, covering in particular safety measures and quarantining. READ has shared an overview of what its 107 centres across Bhutan, India and Nepal are doing in response to the pandemic.

The Association of Library and Information Science Educators has also published its own resource page, and the Federation of Health Science Libraries of India has organised webinars looking to the future of libraries post-COVID-19, as has the library at the Panjab University, Chandragarh, India, and the library of Alkafeel University, Iraq.

Meanwhile, the Association for the Promotion of School Documentary Services in Quebec has provided members with tools they can use to ensure that libraries are integrated in plans to provide remote learning, while the Every Library Institute has set up regular chats and an emergency fund to help libraries in difficulty.

National Libraries

In China, for example, the national digital library has been reinforced in order to deal with the increase in demand and has waived fines for borrowed materials which cannot be returned, as well as providing support to libraries and librarians across the country. In Korea, too, the national digital library has seen a major increase in use, and in Malaysia, the National Library has promoted its own digital library strongly on social media. The role of National Library resources in supporting the effort to combat the pandemic has been recognised by the British Library in its own resource page.

Some libraries have been able to negotiate the possibility to give wider access to legal deposit content for researchers and schools in Norway, and for researchers in the Czech Republic (alongside university libraries). Meanwhile, the National Library of Aruba has given access to the first eBooks in Papiamento (the local language), and will for the first time offer a Dutch-language eLending service, also for the first time, alongside working with the Internet Archive to offer a version of the National Emergency Library.

The National Library of Luxembourg, is making it possible to obtain a library card for three months by email, without the usual ID checks, in order to facilitate access, while the National Library of Morocco is maintaining both online inscriptions alongside ISBN and legal deposit services. The National Library of Lithuania is working with the School of Robotics to promote printing of personal protective equipment in public libraries across the country.

National institutions can also play an important role in speaking up for the sector. For example, in the archives field, The National Archives in London, UK, has set out clearly the challenges it worries that COVID-19 will bring to the field.

Library Partners

There have been very welcome moves by publishers, vendors and others working with libraries to facilitate access to content even when library buildings are forced to close. As set out in the statement by the IFLA President and Secretary-General, it is to be hoped that such steps are generalised as we all look to work together to allow learning, research and access to culture to continue.

A key step has been to allow remote access to content which normally would be restricted to on-site users. VitalSource has worked with its publisher partners to broaden access to materials using only an email address to log-in, as has ProQuest through eBook Central and Springer through extended log-in periods and Emerald through remote access possibilities, , while the Journal of the American Medical Association is also allowing for much more off-site access, as are sites such as ancestry.com. Michigan University Press is allowing read (but not download) access to much of its content. Children's publisher Collins in the UK is making content previously limited to on-site access available remotely. There are also positive examples from Latvia and Kenya, and from across the US as the pandemic spread into its second semester.

Some publishers have also been ready to take account of the fact that some libraries may simply not be able to make payments at the moment, for example Bristol University Press.

Like others (for example, APA, EBSCO, Emerald, Frontiers, Springer Nature, Elsevier, Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, ZB MED, and MIT Press), SAGE is also concentrating and sharing resources on COVID-19 and managing pandemics through a microsite. The White House has taken a major step to facilitate text and data mining to help find solutions by releasing 29 000 papers for analysis. Emerald is also boosting support for creating and sharing publications around how libraries have responded to the pandemic through making volumes open, and planning thematic issues.

A key question currently will be how long extraordinary measures last. Where these are withdrawn before libraries are able to return to normal operations, there is a risk of harm to library users.

Finally, a key IFLA partner - OCLC - has held a town hall meeting bringing together over a thousand librarians in order to share stories and build understanding of the needs of the profession.

Communicating with users in different languages

IFLA's Library Services to Multicultural Populations Section is working with the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) to develop translated signage and text to support libraries communicating with their linguistically diverse communities, particularly in relation to library closures and accessing online information. These resources are available in MS Word format. Libraries are welcome to adapt and use this content as best meets their needs to communicate with their community. Translations will be made available in more languages as they are developed.

Ongoing issues

IFLA is aware that the pandemic has brought up a number of wider issues which we are following closely. In addition to copyright - mentioned above - there are concerns around the impacts of the crisis on the broader culture, education and research sectors, privacy, and ensuring democratic norms are protected. We continue to monitor these issues closely and will share information and views as appropriate.

IFLA has also highlighted the challenges faced in particular by university libraries in accessing eBooks, and explored where there may be the grounds for a competition investigation. We have signed the ICOLC Statement on resource access and COVID-19, and produced our own set of principles for use by library associations in negotiations with rightholders, as well as principles governments should look to guarantee in order to ensure that the class of 2020 does not end up less well informed than those who have come before. Libraries themselves are speaking out against practices that can limit access, for example restrictive licensing, and the pricing of academic eBooks. IFLA itself has taken part in discussions around the potential of Controlled Digital Lending to provide answers to access challenges during the pandemic.

Through blogs, we have also explored how library values are being affected and potentially put at risk, and how libraries can support freedom of expression.

We have also produced a first blog looking at overall trends that may result from the pandemic, from a variety of policy perspectives, as well as a follow-up piece identifying specific potential advocacy points in the short, medium and longer term, and a set of ideas on how to build advocacy capacity, even while under lockdown. In particular, we have highlighted the importance of preserving the idea of core government funding for libraries so that they can maintain their public focus, and set out five suggestions, based on existing ideas, for how libraries can be included in economic stimulus packages.

IFLA's activities

IFLA's work to strengthen and unite the global library field continues, not just in spite of the COVID-19 Pandemic, but because of it. We are determined to maintain the momentum created by the Global Vision process and the launch of our Strategy last year, and believe strongly that the mission it sets out is as relevant now as it has ever been.

As set out in our FAQs about IFLA and the COVID-19 pandemic, we have already worked hard to ensure that our volunteers and staff can continue their crucial work, and have seen a series of successful mid-term meetings by our Professional Units organised over the past weeks. The above also contains a number of examples of what IFLA is already doing.

Meanwhile, IFLA's Document Delivery and Resource-Sharing Section has launched a new service to support the sharing of resources across borders as a way of relieving some of the disruption caused by the pandemic.

However, this is just the beginning. We are also looking forward to announcing exciting new services and opportunities to build a stronger field powering literate, informed and participatory societies into the future. In this, we will be working closely with our Professional Units - the biggest brains trust in the global library field - in order to help inspire, engage, enable and connect the global library field. We look forward to sharing more.

Last update: 13 October 2020

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​ Last update: 13 October 2020 The information and resources below are provided on a non-exhaustive basis but will be updated regularly. It is based on publicly available information, and that submitted to updates@ifla.org. We welcome additional ideas, references, suggestions and corrections to this address. Please see also our FAQs specifically concerning IFLA.

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Pandemic Resources for Academic Libraries: Self-Care and New Ways of Working

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Pandemic Resources for Academic Libraries: Self-Care and New Ways of Working

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ACRL libguide

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Managing Remote Work

Managing Remote Workers
Webcast recording from Tuesday, April 7

Join Martin House, Assistant Director for Public Services at Central Piedmont Community College and incoming chair of ACRL's Community and Junior College Libraries Section, and Cinthya Ippoliti, University Librarian and Director of the Auraria Library at University of Colorado Denver and Director-at-Large on ACRL's Board of Directors, for tips, strategies, and discussion on effective ways to manage a suddenly remote library workforce.

Combating Xenophobia

Upcoming Webinar: Confronting Xenophobia and Supporting Asian and Asian/Pacific American Communities during COVID-19
May 1, 2020, 12:00pm CT

In light of the outbreak of COVID-19 (also known as coronavirus), cases of racism and xenophobia against Asians and Asian/Pacific Americans have surged across the world. In the United States, there has always been a deep history of xenophobia towards Asians. This webinar will feature two experts to discuss the issue of Anti-Asian sentiment, and will also focus on teaching resources in countering xenophobia. This is a free webinar co-sponsored by the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) and the American Library Association's (ALA) Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services (ODLOS).

Please note: due to platform capacity, only the first 100 attendees to log in will be able to attend live. After the webinar, all registrants will receive a link to the recording.

American Libraries Live webcasts

American Libraries Live webcasts cover the full spectrum of library topics and give the ALA community a chance to learn about and discuss issues it deals with daily. Each program lasts 60 minutes.

Recordings from webcasts covering COVID-19 are below. Slides and a list of upcoming webcasts are also available from the AL Live website.

Webcast Recordings

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LibGuides: Pandemic Resources for Academic Libraries: Self-Care and New Ways of Working

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Combating Xenophobia and Fake News in light of COVID-19

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Combating Xenophobia and Fake News in light of COVID-19

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Resource to explore the COVID-19 "infodemic" and the racialization of the pandemic

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As the American Library Association (ALA) continues to track the development of the coronavirus, racial fears and anxieties have become a dominant frame in which people evaluate concerns over the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus infection. Additionally, the World Health Organization has described the secondary issue of an infodemic, which they define as "an overabundance of information - some accurate and some not - that makes it hard for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance when they need it." This page includes selected resources for sharing the facts and examples of how libraries are interrupting not only the spread of misinformation but also related racism and xenophobia.

ALA also recognizes the impact a public health crisis can have on all library workers and has included resources on how libraries are caring for their staff and managing/suspending operations.

Terminology

Racialization - the act or process of imbuing a person with a consciousness of race distinctions or of giving a racial character to something or making it serve racist ends
Sinophobia - the fear or disdain of China, or Chinese people, their language or culture
Xenophobia - fear and hatred of strangers or foreigners or of anything that is strange or foreign

ALA Resources

Library Resources

Additional Resources

News Coverage

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Libraries Respond: Combating Xenophobia and Fake News in light of COVID-19

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As the American Library Association (ALA) continues to track the development of the coronavirus, racial fears and anxieties have become a dominant frame in which people evaluate concerns over the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus infection.

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Compelling analysis of potential long term changes to academic libraries due to COVID-19.

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In early March 2020, COVID-19 blindsided academic libraries. With little time to plan, we closed our library facilities at Clemson University to protect the safety of our patrons and employees and moved to online services only and work from home. Thankfully, years of curating digital content, providing multiple opportunities for research interaction and developing robust search interfaces and web presences served us well during this transition.

With discussions now occurring about reopening campuses, academic libraries face a paradigm shift. Instead of returning to normal, librarians will be returning to a "new normal" -- one where in-person classes and service interactions may be impossible or no longer preferred, where collections in physical format may be a barrier to access, and where collaborative study is shunned in favor of social distancing in buildings that can only safely house half the people they used to. How can we leverage this crisis to create new and innovative collections and services to improve our campus communities?

Below are some of my predictions, based on trend analysis, of how the landscape of academic libraries may change in terms of collections, services, spaces and operations, in hopes they inspire new thinking and continued dialogue.
Collections
The diminishing value of print collections. If the coronavirus crisis has taught us anything, it's how irrelevant our circulating print collections have become. Overnight, most libraries eliminated access due to concerns of virus spread. Strangely, requests for these materials were minimal. How can we make the content in our print collections more accessible and relevant in a post-COVID-19 world?

Mass digitization and access versus archives. For years, research libraries have engaged in "just-in-case" print digitization efforts. With print materials locked behind closed doors, the Internet Archive launched the National Emergency Digital Library, and Hathi Trust opened Emergency Temporary Access to its members. While some authors expressed chagrin at those actions, the result, as Roger Schonfeld points out, is a triumph of long-term planning over the prioritization of immediate needs. Although copyright issues will need to be resolved, additional mass digitization efforts should be undertaken, leveraging collaborative storage agreements currently dedicated to the preservation of print content, to make library print collections more accessible.

E-everything. Unlike our print materials, libraries have seen use of our electronic resources skyrocket. Over the next few years, we will spend more time and money developing our electronic collections. That will be a challenge with diminishing budgets. Libraries will need to develop new strategies for negotiating better deals with publishers and lobby for greater access to streaming media and ebooks, which are more plentiful and cheaply accessible to individuals than they are to libraries. New access models will also need to be developed, and if the recent Macmillan e-book embargo is any indication, publishers will make this challenging.

The end of big deals. The long-term financial implications of COVID-19, as well as years of inflationary increases by publishers, have caused several institutions to rethink multiyear licenses to large journal packages. The University of North Carolina and State University of New York system libraries recently announced that they will be canceling their Elsevier contracts in favor of title-by-title purchasing that will save significant money. Look for more libraries to follow suit and cancel big deals, relying instead on resource-sharing agreements and document delivery services, forcing publishers to develop à la carte access options.

Distinctive collection digitization. The greatest asset of any academic library's collection is its special collections and archives. Ironically, these distinctive materials are often hidden in vaults, only available for in-person access. Archivists have been challenged to provide research materials and services online during the COVID-19 closure. Look for an increase in archives digitization efforts in the coming years, transitioning digitized content from being a method of preservation or preview, to being the primary access point for the collection.

Copyright/fair use challenges. While it justly protects the creators, copyright has always been unreasonably restrictive. And while fair use does provide for educational use of copyrighted materials, most faculty members don't understand it, concerned only with making content available to their students. As courses go online, they'll want greater access to materials to use in their courses. Librarians must provide more copyright education, as well as encourage authors to use creative commons licenses and lobby for more flexible copyright laws.
Services
Self-service models and virtual alternatives. Libraries pride themselves on the in-person customer experience they provide. How do we recalibrate our service desks so they don't become hot zones of traffic and disease spread but continue to provide the high-quality customer service our patrons expect? Will we have service desks at all? Look for more self-service and touchless interactions: self-checkout, curbside pickup, scan and deliver, and materials delivery. Expect also that patrons won't visit us as much as they used to. We'll need to bring our services to them.

Embedded librarianship. Placing librarians physically in the flow of teaching and research efforts has been a trend for years. If courses remain online, deeper integration of both library resources and personnel into course management systems is essential to ensure students gain information literacy skills. Librarians can help faculty members develop course content, co-teach, provide research consultations, hold virtual office hours online and assist in the identification and linking of course content.

The rise of open content ... The quest for a coronavirus cure has emphasized the importance of immediate access to scientific information and data sets. Librarians have been lobbying for years to develop alternative pathways for research dissemination through institutional repositories and support of open-access publishing. This is the moment to advocate for open research and open data in federal grants and to educate faculty members about how to retain their publication rights. Look for libraries to also seek greater control of the research being produced at their institutions, as can be seen in the recent rise of publisher open-access agreements.

... and open educational resources. Libraries have already taken a leadership role in educating faculty on the benefits of creating and adopting open educational resources, free or low-cost textbooks, and learning materials that provide teacher personalization while lowering the cost of student education. OERs will be in demand as faculty seek alternatives to bulky print textbooks. Libraries can also introduce and manage free homework systems and virtual labs to enhance online student engagement.

Support for online teaching. Libraries are perfectly positioned to assist faculty in the development of online courses. Our instructional technology game is strong, having extensive familiarity with tutorial and instructional video creation, course management systems, OER and the like. We already provide students with instruction, technologies and spaces that support digital literacy -- using technology to create and communicate. We need to build further relationships with campus offices of online education, instructional technology and teaching and learning to leverage this expertise and ensure that students and faculty have the skills they need to succeed in this new online environment.

Support for online research. Lab closures and travel restrictions present barriers to faculty research. Libraries can assist researchers by developing online environments for faculty members to collaborate from a distance. Virtual lab environments, built on current voice recognition and data visualization initiatives, can be developed to aid researchers who are unable to conduct physical experiments. Researchers will also need places to deposit data and distribute their research. Libraries can use tools like ORCID to connect preferred gateways like ArXiv with institutional repositories to develop a comprehensive research platform for researchers.

The library website as a virtual front door. Libraries have had to rethink their websites now that they represent the primary path of interaction for patrons. Following usability principles, look for library websites to evolve to be more user friendly, responsive and customizable.

Personalization and the promise of artificial intelligence. Libraries have been reluctant to embrace artificial intelligence surveillance technologies due to our desire to protect the intellectual freedom of our patrons. Yet AI technologies could be harnessed to provide more tailored search results, monitor social distancing and integrate the library into personal assistants.
Spaces
Studied study spaces. New library designs have intentionally emphasized open floor plans and collaborative study space. How will this change in a post-COVID-19 world? Will students prefer, or be forced, to use individualized study spaces? Will group studies be in demand or closed altogether? If there are guidelines on the size of groups, how do we monitor and enforce them?

Removing tables and chairs will be necessary to encourage social distancing. Technology can be harnessed to help patrons avoid clusters of individuals or identify and book open seats in less populated areas. Look for significant changes in space design as libraries study user behavior and seek to respond.

A second, larger challenge exists in serving our populations in our current footprints. Knowing we will have to limit the number of patrons in our buildings, more study spaces will be needed across campus. Taking the lead in managing and coordinating access to these new spaces would allow us to become more integrated across the geography of our institutions.

The disappearance of public technology. Computer labs are disappearing from our campuses, but libraries still have large numbers of public computers and even greater collections of circulating technology. Public computers may become a thing of the past in a post-COVID-19 world. Libraries will encourage students to bring their own devices and provide student work environments -- dual monitors, shareable screens -- that can be tailored to individual needs. New cleaning routines will need to be developed to ensure safe circulation of technology should that continue.
Operations
Employee safety. Procurement of personal protective equipment will be essential for employees on the front lines to be safe and comfortable interacting with patrons. How will patrons react to masked librarians behind Plexiglas shields? Employees may need to work in shifts, making communication and the preservation of community difficult. Office spaces will need to be rethought, too, as open-concept office spaces may give way to preference for enclosure.

Continuous learning and development. The move to work from home proved challenging for many people, as they were asked to quickly learn new collaborative technologies like Zoom and WebEx, Microsoft Teams, Box, and Google Docs. Most embraced this immersive learning experience. Libraries should harness this momentum, providing additional technology training and identifying essential technology skills for employees in this new normal. With travel restricted, online professional development will also be important.

Doing more with less. The economic impact of COVID-19 will be felt for years to come. As colleges struggle to maintain enrollment and reduce expenses, libraries will confront budget reductions, hiring freezes and other spending restrictions. How will we do more with fewer personnel while protecting our acquisitions budget to provide greater online access to content? We will need streamline workflows and retrain existing employees to fill new roles. Student learning and faculty research may be impacted by what are sure to be drastic cuts.

Equity of access. COVID-19 has exacerbated the divide that exists between "essential" workers and those who are provided the privilege of working from home, those with reliable internet access and those without, and those whose income or social status do not afford them quality health care.

Librarian activism. Librarians across the country mobilized on social media to document how libraries were responding to COVID-19, as well as call for closures to ensure employee safety. Look for librarians to activate further around issues such as open access, copyright, worker rights and ending the digital divide.

To thrive in this new reality, libraries will need to be nimbler and more responsive than ever before. We have learned and grown during our time in quarantine. I look forward to our future transformation.

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Academic libraries will change in significant ways as a result of the pandemic (opinion)

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In early March 2020, COVID-19 blindsided academic libraries. With little time to plan, we closed our library facilities at Clemson University to protect the safety of our patrons and employees and moved to online services only and work from home.

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Florida Pauses Football After 19 Players Diagnosed With COVID-19

Five players were detected Sunday and the remainder on Tuesday.

"Out of an abundance of caution, team activities are paused as of Tuesday afternoon," Athletics Director Scott Stricklin said in a statement. "Head coach Dan Mullen has been in communication with football players and their parents, and I have had conversations with the Southeastern Conference office, last week's opponent Texas A&M, and this week's opponent [Louisiana State University]."

Mullen had earlier called for fans to fill the stadium to capacity. But university officials said they would stick with their original limit of 20 percent capacity.
-- Scott Jaschik
BYU Idaho Warns Students Against Intentionally Contracting COVID-19, Selling Plasma

Oct. 13, 12:00 p.m. Brigham Young University Idaho released a campus update Monday saying that the university is "troubled" by accounts that students have deliberately exposed themselves to COVID-19 in the hopes of selling plasma that contains antibodies for the disease.

"The university condemns this behavior and is actively seeking evidence of any such conduct among our student body. Students who are determined to have intentionally exposed themselves or others to the virus will be immediately suspended from the university and may be permanently dismissed," the university said in the update.

Idaho plasma centers are offering greater compensation for donations containing COVID-19 antibodies, EastIdahoNews.com has reported.

The Food and Drug Administration has authorized the use of plasma with COVID-19 antibodies to treat the disease in hospital settings and has concluded that the product may be effective as a treatment.
-- Lilah Burke Ohio Wesleyan Eliminates 18 Majors
The majors include comparative literature, computational neuroscience, dance, earth science education, earth sciences, geology, German, health promotion, journalism, Middle Eastern studies, planetary science, religion and urban studies.

An example of the consolidations is that Black world studies and women's and gender studies will join and become a Department of Critical Identity Studies.

All students currently majoring in one of the eliminated fields will be able to complete the major.

COVID-19 was not the sole cause of the cuts, university officials said.

President Rock Jones said, "Through the administrative and academic actions OWU has taken during the past six months, Ohio Wesleyan has become a more focused, more efficient university."
-- Scott Jaschik
Kutztown Loses 1,000 Students to Online Option

In addition to not having the students on campus, the university is losing $3.5 million in room and board fees it would have collected.

Paul Berlet, a Kutztown student who didn't return this year, said, "It's not a safe, healthy environment right now, especially when you factor in the lack of social gatherings, which is good, and the inability of the administration to actually keep these people safe."
-- Scott Jaschik
At U of New Hampshire, Faculty and Staff Outpace Students in COVID-19 Infections

Erika Mantz, a spokeswoman for the university, couldn't say why the university has seen a spike of positive COVID-19 cases in faculty and staff.

"While any positive COVID case is a concern, the university is identifying more positive cases as a result of its regular testing of all community members, not just those with symptoms," she said.
-- Scott Jaschik
Professor Quits to Protest Working Amid COVID-19

Oct. 9, 6:28 a.m. A professor at Dominican University in Illinois quit his job this week to protest working conditions with COVID-19, NBC Chicago reported.

Gary Wilson said he quit after a student in his advanced anatomy lab class tested positive for the coronavirus. "I told them I'm resigning because this is an unsafe workplace," Wilson said. "All you need is one person to infect everyone. Look at the White House."

Wilson said all 60 students in the class should quarantine for 14 days.

The university confirmed that a student had tested positive for the virus. But the university said that contact tracing had been used and that only three students needed to quarantine.
-- Scott Jaschik
New England Sports League Cancels Winter Season

The presidents of the league's members, which include 11 selective liberal arts colleges in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts and New York, said that changes in many of the institutions' academic calendars for the spring semester meant that many students would not return to their campuses until late January or early February, cutting deeply into the traditional season of intra-conference competition.

Middlebury College, for instance, announced today that it would hold its January term virtually and that students would return for the spring two weeks later than normal, in late February. Bowdoin College said this week that it would bring sophomores, juniors and seniors to campus for the spring term, also two weeks later than usual.

"We understand this decision will disappoint many of our students, given the important role athletics plays in the student experience," the statement read. "We remain committed to providing meaningful opportunities for our students to engage in athletic activities. Students may continue to participate in practice activities, strength and conditioning, skill development and leadership programming in accordance with NCAA, Conference and institutional policies, as well as state and local health guidelines."

The league also said that members "may schedule outside competition at their discretion." The NESCAC members are Amherst, Bates, Bowdoin, Colby, Connecticut, Hamilton, Middlebury, Trinity and Williams Colleges, and Tufts and Wesleyan Universities.
-- Doug Lederman
Top Journal, Citing COVID-19, Endorses Biden, Without Naming Him

Oct. 8, 6:28 a.m. A top journal endorsed Joe Biden for president because the Trump administration is "dangerously incompetent." The endorsement, by The New England Journal of Medicine, is the first time the journal has endorsed anyone.

"Although we tend to focus on technology, most of the interventions that have large effects are not complicated," the editorial says. "The United States instituted quarantine and isolation measures late and inconsistently, often without any effort to enforce them, after the disease had spread substantially in many communities. Our rules on social distancing have in many places been lackadaisical at best, with loosening of restrictions long before adequate disease control had been achieved. And in much of the country, people simply don't wear masks, largely because our leaders have stated outright that masks are political tools rather than effective infection control measures. The government has appropriately invested heavily in vaccine development, but its rhetoric has politicized the development process and led to growing public distrust."

The editorial continues, "The response of our nation's leaders has been consistently inadequate. The federal government has largely abandoned disease control to the states. Governors have varied in their responses, not so much by party as by competence. But whatever their competence, governors do not have the tools that Washington controls."

The editorial does not mention Biden or President Trump by name.

It concludes, "Our leaders have largely claimed immunity for their actions. But this election gives us the power to render judgment. Reasonable people will certainly disagree about the many political positions taken by candidates. But truth is neither liberal nor conservative. When it comes to the response to the largest public health crisis of our time, our current political leaders have demonstrated that they are dangerously incompetent. We should not abet them and enable the deaths of thousands more Americans by allowing them to keep their jobs."
-- Scott Jaschik
Syracuse Limits Social Gatherings After Party Linked to 45 Cases

Oct. 7, 6:28 a.m. Syracuse University has limited social gatherings to five people after an off-campus party was linked to 45 cases of COVID-19, Syracuse.com reported. More COVID-19 cases are expected from the party.

The limits do not apply to courses.

Previously, the university banned social events with more than 25 people.

The university is also asking all fraternities and sororities to adopt a "no-visitors" policy.
-- Scott Jaschik
Research: Only 25% of Colleges Doing Surveillance Testing

Oct. 6, 11:20 a.m. An analysis of testing strategies at more than 1,400 institutions found that more than two-thirds either have no clear testing plan or are only testing "at-risk" students, those who either feel sick or who have had contact with an individual who tested positive for coronavirus, National Public Radio reported. The analysis was done by researchers at the College Crisis Initiative at Davidson College, in North Carolina.

Just 25 percent of colleges are conducting mass screening or random "surveillance" testing of students. Only 6 percent are routinely testing all of their students.

Some experts have argued that frequent surveillance testing is necessary to contain outbreaks because the virus can be spread by asymptomatic and presymptomatic individuals. Recently revised guidance on testing at higher education institutions from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that "a strategy of entry screening combined with regular serial testing might prevent or reduce" transmission of the virus, although the guidance stops short of explicitly recommending serial testing as a strategy.

Officials at many institutions that are not testing regularly say that doing so would be too expensive for them.
-- Elizabeth Redden
Doane President Proposes Closing Numerous Programs

Oct. 6, 6:30 a.m. The president of Doane University, in Nebraska, has proposed ending a number of programs because of financial pressures created by the COVID-19 pandemic, 10/11 Now reported.

The president, Jacque Carter, proposed ending:

Minor in Asian studies

Minor in computational science

Major in criminal justice

Major in English as a second language

Major in film and media production

Minor in gender studies

Major and minor in German

Major in graphic arts and print design

Major in health and society

Major in international studies

Major in law, politics and society

Major and minor in philosophy

Major and minor in political science

Major and minor in religious studies

The Faculty Council has this month to provide its recommendations. The board of the university will vote on the cuts in November.
-- Scott Jaschik
Iowa Community College Campus Closed for a Week

Oct. 5, 12:15 p.m. The Belmont campus of Scott Community College, part of Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, is closed until Monday, Oct. 12, after a small number of staff reported positive cases of COVID-19.

As of Monday morning, two staff members had reported testing positive for the virus, according to a college spokesman.

"In an abundance of caution," the campus was closed to everyone to prevent spreading the virus, the website states. Students will take their courses online this week, and services will be provided virtually. No one is allowed onto campus. Faculty can make appointments to pick up items they need to work from home.

The college's other campuses remain open.
-- Madeline St. Amour
Instagram Connects Freshmen During Pandemic

The story focuses on collegeboston2024, an account created by Lucy Garberg, a freshman at Tufts University. "My hope is that this account will bring us together," she wrote in May.

The site has thousands of followers and requires seven students to manage.

"We can't really rely on naturally organic, flowing relationships, which is what I thought was going to happen in college," said Jaime Kim, a student Garberg recruited to help her manage the account. "We definitely have to ... go out of our way to reach out to people."
-- Scott Jaschik Notre Dame President Tests Positive for COVID-19
Oct. 2, 1:20 p.m. The University of Notre Dame announced Friday that its president, the Reverend John Jenkins, tested positive for COVID-19 just days after attending a White House event for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett.

A colleague Father Jenkins was in regular contact with had tested positive for the virus, and Father Jenkins was subsequently tested, according to a message to students, faculty and staff members. He will quarantine at home.

"My symptoms are mild and I will continue to work from home," Father Jenkins said in a statement. "The positive test is a good reminder for me and perhaps for all of how vigilant we need to be."

The announcement follows the news overnight of U.S. president Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump testing positive for the virus.

Earlier this week, Jenkins was criticized for not wearing a mask or social distancing at White House event for Barrett.
-- Emma Whitford
Penn State Releases Student Punishments

Oct. 2, 6:24 a.m. Pennsylvania State University on Thursday released a list of the punishments students have received for violating COVID-19 rules since Aug. 17. The punishments include:

Suspensions for the rest of the academic year: 10.

Removal from on-campus housing: 17.

Probation or probation with a transcript notation: 204.

Warnings, "which may include a discussion about the situation, an explanation of the misconduct and expectations going forward, and a warning that a further violation may result in more serious consequences": 1,046.

"The university's top priority in response to the pandemic has been the health and safety of our community. We are grateful for the seriousness with which most of our students take the virus' threat, but we will continue to hold accountable those students who threaten our community by violating our clearly stated expectations," said Damon Sims, vice president for student affairs.
-- Scott Jaschik
Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Seeking Tuition Refund for Remote Learning

Oct. 1, 3:35 p.m. A federal judge on Thursday largely dismissed a lawsuit in which a group of Northeastern University students sought refunds of their tuition and other payments after the university, like most colleges in the country, closed its campuses and shifted to remote learning because of the coronavirus last spring.

Many such cases were filed last spring and summer, and this appears to be the first one decided by a federal court.

In his ruling, Judge Richard G. Stearns granted Northeastern's motion to dismiss the class action on all of the students' demands except for possible refund of the campus recreation fee, which he agreed could proceed.

The two named plaintiffs, Thom Gallo and Manny Chong, undergraduate and graduate students, respectively, had paid Northeastern between $23,400 and $26,100 in tuition, plus several hundred dollars in fees for the spring term. Chong petitioned the university for a refund based on the "pedagogical inferiority of online instruction," and when that was rejected, he and Gallo filed a class action on behalf of similarly situated students, saying that the university either breached its contract with them or engaged in unjust enrichment.

The judge, citing the annual financial responsibility agreement that students sign with Northeastern, concluded that the university did not commit to providing in-person instruction, invalidating the breach-of-contract claim. Stearns dismissed the claims for refunded student fees because, he said, students pay those fees "to 'support' certain facilities during terms for which those students are enrolled in classes, not to gain access to any on-campus facility or resource."

Stearns permitted the recreation fee claim to proceed because that fee gives students the option to attend home sporting events and to use fitness facilities that were unavailable to them when the campus closed.
-- Doug Lederman
University of Denver Suspends 38 Athletes for Attending Off-Campus Party

Oct. 1, 6:23 a.m. The University of Denver suspended 38 members of the swim and dive team for attending a large off-campus party in violation of COVID-19 rules set by the university, 9News reported.

"We will continue to swiftly pursue disciplinary action if members of our community disregard the protocols and public health orders designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19," said a letter explaining the decision. "We can't have anyone in our community believe they don't need to abide by DU's, the city's or the state's COVID-19 restrictions while the rest of the community is working so hard to have protocols in place intended to keep everyone safe and healthy."

All of the athletes will be required to test for COVID-19 and are under "location restrictions" until they test negative, the letter says.
-- Scott Jaschik
U of Florida Approves Regulation for Furlough Policy

Sept. 30, 6:30 a.m. The University of Florida Board of Trustees on Tuesday approved a regulation for a furlough policy that would apply to faculty members, sworn law enforcement and postdoctoral associate employees. "Furloughs are designed to be a proportionate response to such conditions and a job preservation tool, where possible, in lieu of layoffs or other separations from employment," the policy says.

The university said it does not plan to use the policy right now but wants it in place should it lose more money during the pandemic.

Paul Ortiz, president of the United Faculty of Florida Union, said many are worried about the new policy, WCJB reported. "I beg you to first consider the many alternatives that exist to going down the furlough road. I am looking for a firm commitment from the BOT and President [Kent] Fuchs to use the university's unrestricted net assets and other resources in order to buffer our campus from the types of budget cuts that will negatively impact the working lives and fragile earning power of members of our community already reeling from the global pandemic and the after-effects of the Great Recession," Ortiz said.
-- Scott Jaschik
CDC: COVID-19 Cases Among Young Adults Rose Sharply as Campuses Filled

Sept. 29, 5 p.m. The number of young adults with COVID-19 rose by 55 percent from early August to early September, as most colleges were bringing students back to their campuses, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a new report Tuesday.

The federal agency's "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report" found that the incidence of COVID cases among people aged 18 to 22 years increased by nearly 63 percent from Aug. 2 to Aug. 29, then dropped off slightly through Sept. 5, accounting for the 55 percent rise. The increases were greatest in the Northeast (144 percent) and Midwest (123 percent). The increases were particularly sharp among white young adults, as seen below.

The CDC study includes its usual disclaimer that the increases in cases "were not solely attributable to increased testing."

The report suggested that multiple factors are likely at play, but said, "Because approximately 45 percent of persons aged 18-22 years attend colleges and universities and 55 percent of those attending identified as white persons, it is likely that some of this increase is linked to resumption of in-person attendance at some colleges and universities."

It concluded by stating, "Mitigation and preventive measures targeted to young adults (e.g., social media toolkits discussing the importance of mask wearing, social distancing, and hand hygiene), including those attending colleges and universities, can likely reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission among their contacts and communities. Institutions of higher education should support students and communities by taking action to promote healthy environments."
-- Doug Lederman Police Break Up Party of More Than 1,000 Near Florida State
Sept. 29, 7:30 a.m. Police broke up a party Sunday near Florida State University with more than 1,000 people -- most of them students, the Associated Press reported. Large social gatherings, with people not practicing social distancing or wearing masks, are one way COVID-19 is spread.

Florida State reported that more than 1,400 students and 26 employees had tested positive for COVID-19 through Sept. 18.

The party came just days after Florida's governor, Ron DeSantis, said the state should create a "bill of rights" for students. "I personally think it's incredibly draconian that a student would get potentially expelled for going to a party," DeSantis said Thursday. "That's what college kids do."
-- Scott Jaschik
Florida May Protect Partying Students

"I personally think it's incredibly draconian that a student would get potentially expelled for going to a party," DeSantis said Thursday. "That's what college kids do."

He did not provide details.
-- Scott Jaschik
Health Agency in Boulder Further Restricts Student Behavior

Sept. 24, 12:45 p.m. The public health agency in Boulder County, Colo., on Thursday issued an order further restricting the behavior of college-aged people in the county, home to the University of Colorado at Boulder. The order from Boulder County Public Health, which takes effect today at 4 p.m. MST, forbids gatherings "of any size" among 18- to 22-year-olds within the county, and requires residents of 36 off-campus facilities (mostly fraternities and sororities) to remain in place for two weeks.

"A gathering is defined as more than one individual coming together or being physically near each other for any shared and common purpose, including socializing or participating in any activity together including but not limited to shopping, dining, or exercising," the order stated.

The county's order follows on the university's decision Monday to begin two weeks of remote instruction Wednesday, which itself followed the announcement of a recommended stay-at-home period it began last week.

The university's chancellor, Phil DiStefano, said Thursday that the county's order gives students three options: stay in Boulder and follow the public health guidelines, return to their permanent residences and study fully online for the rest of the spring, or "choose to not follow the rules that protect our community from COVID-19 spread and run the risk of serious health consequences to yourself and others ... Please do not choose this option," he wrote.

DiStefano continued, "Like many of our peer universities across the country, we continue to face new challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have enacted similar approaches to ours and are successfully reducing their positive cases. I believe we can as well, but only if we work together and make sacrifices for each other."
-- Doug Lederman
Sacred Heart Threatens to Send Students Home

Sept. 24, 6:25 a.m. The president of Sacred Heart University, in Connecticut, threatened to send students home if all students don't follow guidelines for preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Speaking in a video message, John Petillo said that most students were following the rules. But he said "a significant number" are not. The university is receiving reports of gatherings, both on and off campus, in which rules are violated and face masks are not being worn.

These violations, he said, result in "too many positive COVID cases" among students, especially those in off-campus housing. And parents are urging the university to go fully remote in instruction. (Currently, it is teaching in a hybrid model.)

The university says that it has 119 cases of COVID-19, 94 of them from students in off-campus housing.
-- Scott Jaschik
U of Michigan Resident Advisers End Strike

Sept. 23, 12:00 p.m. University of Michigan resident assistants have accepted a deal with the university and ended their strike, which began Sept. 8.

The staff had raised concerns about COVID-19 protections for residential staff and demanded, among other things, regular access to testing for RAs, hazard pay, personal protective equipment, greater enforcement of university policy and greater transparency from the administration. The staff is not unionized.

University officials have said the deal included priority testing for RAs through the university's surveillance program, additional PPE and the creation of a council where concerns can be raised, mLive reported.

The residential life staffers began their strike the same day that Michigan's graduate employees began theirs, and the two engaged in mutual actions. The graduate employees' strike ended Sept. 16.

"This wouldn't have happened without everyone that extended a helping hand in our direction," the RA staff posted on Twitter. "Solidarity forever!"
-- Lilah Burke
Middlebury Punishes 22 Students for Violating COVID-19 Rules

Sept. 23, 6:21 a.m. Middlebury College has punished 22 students for rules violations related to COVID-19.

"We have concluded that 22 students violated college policies related to COVID-19. We took swift action according to our sanctioning guidelines shared earlier with the community. These sanctions included revoking on-campus housing privileges and disallowing the students from visiting, studying, or taking courses on campus," said a message on Middlebury's website from Derek Doucet, dean of students.

He continued, "We cannot share any more details of particular conduct cases because of privacy concerns. I can tell you that these were very difficult decisions to make, but there is nothing more important than the health and safety of our community. Students removed from campus because of COVID-19 violations are ordinarily eligible to return in the following semester."

Notre Dame Postpones Football Game

Sept. 22, 3:40 p.m. The University of Notre Dame postponed a Sept. 26 football game against Wake Forest University after seven players on the Fighting Irish team tested positive for COVID-19, Notre Dame's athletics department said in a statement. All football-related activities are on pause "until further testing is completed," the statement said.

Notre Dame administered 94 COVID-19 tests to football players on Monday, and the seven athletes who tested positive are now in isolation, the statement said. A total of 13 players are in isolation and 10 are in quarantine, based on this and last week's testing results from the football team, the statement said.

-- Greta Anderson

Researchers Estimate Campus Openings Linked to ~3,000 New Daily Cases

Sept. 22, 10:48 a.m. A new working paper estimates that reopening college campuses for in-person instruction has been associated with more than 3,000 additional COVID-19 cases per day in the United States.

The researchers found an increase of 2.4 daily cases per 100,000 people in counties with a campus that opened for in-person instruction.

"No such increase is observed in counties with no colleges, closed colleges or those that opened primarily online," they write.

"The uptick in local COVID-19 incidence was higher in colleges with greater exposure to students from states with high recent COVID-19 case rates. College reopenings that drew students from areas with a 10 percent greater weekly incidence were associated with an additional 1.19 new cases per 100,000 per day."

The lead author of the study, conducted by a group of scholars with expertise in economics, epidemiology and higher education, is Martin Andersen, assistant professor of economics at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Researchers plan to publish the paper, titled "College Openings, Mobility, and the Incidence of COVID-19 Cases," on a server for preprints (e.g., articles that have not yet been peer reviewed), medRxiv.
--Elizabeth Redden
Elon Moves to Level 3 Alert

Sept. 22, 6:20 a.m. Elon University has moved to level 3 -- high alert following an increase in COVID-19 cases.

The university moved to level 2 four days prior after an outbreak among athletes led to the suspension of athletic practices. Since the move to level 2, 79 students have tested positive for COVID-19.

The move to high alert level has prompted the university to increase testing. The university's mobile testing lab plans to conduct tests of 300 people who have had indirect contact with people who have tested positive. And random testing will be increased to 400 tests. (Elon enrolls about 7,000 students.)

In addition, certain classes with a "significant proportion" of positive cases will move online.
-- Scott Jaschik Northeastern Lets Suspended Students Apply Tuition to Spring Semester
Sept. 18, 6:23 a.m. Northeastern University has backed down, in part, on its decision to charge full tuition to 11 students it suspended for violating the rules mandating social distancing and wearing face masks, The Boston Globe reported.

The university originally said that it would take the entire tuition payment for the semester, $36,500. But now the university is taking only $8,740. The rest can be applied to the spring semester's tuition.

"The university's response is still not acceptable, although it is telling that they appear to be backtracking from their initial position about taking these families' money without an obligation to deliver any services whatsoever," said Brett Joshpe, a lawyer for two of the students' families.
-- Scott Jaschik
President Sorry for Posting Photo

The photo was posted to Instagram at a time when the college's students were all supposed to be on campus in a quarantine.

Hilary Link, the president, apologized. "Posting the picture without the whole context was not my best choice," Link told the Tribune on Tuesday. "I was watching my 14-year-old son in his first-ever varsity soccer game for the Meadville High School in a stadium very, very physically distanced from every other person except my husband -- wearing masks," Link said. "Everybody was wearing masks. Outdoors. Absolutely following guidelines that we set out for our facility and staff who do not live on campus."

Students and parents complained about her photo.
-- Scott Jaschik
Big Ten Will Play Football in October

The conference, which includes big-time football programs such as Pennsylvania State University, the University of Michigan and Ohio State University, originally decided in August that the medical risks of COVID-19 for athletes called for postponement. The league's leaders were concerned about a heart condition, myocarditis, that some athletes who previously had COVID-19 are at risk of developing due to heart inflammation while battling symptoms of the virus.

League leaders faced political pressure to resume the season from governors of several states and from the federal government, including United States senator Ben Sasse, a Republican from Nebraska, and even President Donald Trump, who met with Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren earlier this month. Parents of Big Ten athletes also protested the decision and several University of Nebraska football players sued the league, USA Today reported.

Along with the decision to resume fall play, the league developed new protocols for testing athletes for COVID-19, cardiac screening and "an enhanced data-driven approach when making decisions about practice/competition," the press release said. All athletes, coaches and others on the field for practice and games will be tested daily for COVID-19 and athletes who test positive will not be able to return to games for 21 days, the release said. The resumption of practice or games will be determined by the team and staff members' coronavirus positivity rate.

"Our goal has always been to return to competition so all student-athletes can realize their dream of competing in the sports they love," Warren said in the release. "We are incredibly grateful for the collaborative work that our Return to Competition Task Force have accomplished to ensure the health, safety and wellness of student-athletes, coaches and administrators."

SUNY, Faculty Union Reach Agreement on Testing Professors

Sept. 15, 6:24 a.m. The State University of New York and its faculty union, United University Professions, announced an agreement under which faculty members will be tested for the coronavirus.

SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras said, "We will now regularly test UUP faculty members serving on campus for the virus. I want to thank President Frederick Kowal for his continued leadership in protecting his members and all of SUNY as we make COVID-19 testing available for all of our UUP faculty and other professional members. This will help us pinpoint and isolate cases on our campuses, avoid outbreaks, and most importantly -- keep our dedicated faculty members safe. I look forward to working closely with UUP leadership in the months ahead as we navigate these uncertain times."

Kowal said, "We welcome this opportunity to make the SUNY state-operated campuses as safe as we possibly can for students, for the surrounding campus communities and for our UUP membership, with this new agreement for mandatory COVID-19 testing of employees represented by UUP."
-- Scott Jaschik
University of Arizona Recommends Shelter in Place for Students

Sept. 14, 3:40 p.m. The University of Arizona and the Pima County Health Department are recommending students on campus and near campus shelter in place for 14 days as the university battles a rising number of COVID-19 cases.

Students following that recommendation, which has also been described as a voluntary quarantine, would still be able to travel to certain activities like essential in-person classes or to purchase necessities like food or medication that can't be delivered. Leaders are still determining the exact geographic area to be covered by the recommendation. They expect to release additional details later today.

Without intervention, officials worry the coronavirus could incubate among students and spread to more vulnerable populations in the region.

"The university is not an island," said Dr. Theresa Cullen, director of public health for Pima County, during a virtual news conference today. "It may seem that way, sometimes, but it's not."

Local government officials were already considering steps like removing pool permits from apartment complexes that host a large number of students. The university has confirmed well over 600 positive cases this month.

Officials during today's news conference blamed off-campus social gatherings for accelerating transmission of the virus. The university has been operating with limited in-person courses since beginning the fall semester at the end of August.

The university's president, Robert C. Robbins, called Monday's announcement a "last-ditch effort" to ask students to follow social distancing rules before more drastic changes must be made.

"I'm short of saying 'I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore,' because there are only certain things that I can do," Robbins said. "But this is part of being a good member of society, to take into account the health of others -- not just your individual health, and not just your individual desire to go out and have a good time and party."
-- Rick Seltzer
Athletes With COVID-19 at Risk of Heart Inflammation, Small Study Finds

Sept. 12, 2:32 p.m. Roughly one in six college athletes who contracted COVID-19 later showed evidence of heart inflammation that could be dangerous if they return to play, a new study found.

The small study, conducted on 26 athletes at Ohio State University and published in JAMA Cardiology, revealed through cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging that four of the athletes had myocarditis, heart inflammation that can cause serious damage. Several others showed evidence of previous myocarditis that could have resulted from the coronavirus.

The threat of COVID-driven myocarditis among competitive athletes has been a source of contention in recent weeks. The Big Ten and Pac-12 Conferences opted not to play this fall in significant part because of concern among its member universities about the potentially fatal heart ailment.

Last week, officials at Pennsylvania State University sent conflicting signals about the threat. After the university's director of athletic medicine said at a public meeting that about a third of Big Ten Conference athletes who tested positive for the coronavirus showed signs of myocarditis, university officials sought to correct the record, citing the 15 percent figure.
-- Doug Lederman
Missouri President, Under Threat of Suit, Removes Twitter Blocks

Choi removed the blocks after a lawyer threatened to sue over them. "Not only is it immoral and repugnant for President Choi to block students and other persons on social media who are trying to raise awareness of campus safety issues in the middle of a global pandemic, it is also unlawful," the lawyer wrote.

A spokesman for Choi said some of the posts that led the president to block the accounts were obscene.
-- Scott Jaschik
California State to Stay Virtual in Spring 2021

Sept. 10, 7:45 p.m. The California State University system has announced that all 23 of its campuses will continue to offer virtual instruction for the academic term beginning in January 2021.

"After extensive consultation with campus presidents and other stakeholders, and careful consideration of a multitude of factors -- regarding the pandemic and its consequences, as well as other matters impacting the university and its operations -- I am announcing that the CSU will continue with this primarily virtual instructional approach for the academic term that begins in January 2021, and also will continue with reduced populations in campus housing," CSU chancellor Timothy P. White announced in a message to the university Wednesday. "This decision is the only responsible one available to us at this time. And it is the only one that supports our twin North Stars of safeguarding the health, safety and well-being of our faculty, staff, students and communities, as well as enabling degree progression for the largest number of students."

White said the decision was announced now in order to give students and their families time to plan for the spring 2021 semester. He also cited the need to publish and promote course offerings and to meet accreditation requirements for virtual courses.
-- Marjorie Valbrun
Wisconsin Pauses In-Person Instruction, Quarantines 2 Residence Halls

Sept. 10, 7:55 a.m. The University of Wisconsin at Madison announced Wednesday evening that it would pause in-person instruction for two weeks, citing a positive COVID-19 testing rate that had risen above 20 percent this week.

Much of the increase was driven by off-campus activity, but "the latest numbers also show a sharp increase in certain residence halls," said Chancellor Rebecca Blank. "We will not contain this spread without significant additional action."

In addition to the two weeks of fully virtual instruction for undergraduate and graduate students alike, Wisconsin said it would impose a quarantine on two residence halls where positive cases have spiked, close all in-person study spaces at libraries and the student union, and cancel all in-person gatherings of more than 10 people.

"I share the disappointment and frustration of students and employees who had hoped we might enjoy these first few weeks of the academic year together," Blank said.
-- Doug Lederman Stanford Medical Faculty Attack 'Falsehoods' by Trump Adviser
Sept. 10, 6:28 a.m. More than 70 professors at Stanford University's medical school have signed a letter criticizing the "falsehoods and misrepresentations of science" by Scott Atlas, a former colleague currently advising President Trump on the coronavirus.

Specifically, the letter defends face masks, social distancing and the development of a vaccine and says that young children can get the virus.

"Failure to follow the science -- or deliberately misrepresenting the science -- will lead to immense avoidable harm," the letter says.
-- Scott Jaschik
Tennessee Evacuates Residence Hall So More Students Can Isolate

Sept. 9, 1:30 p.m. The University of Tennessee at Knoxville, where the number of students with COVID-19 has almost tripled this month, to 612, told students in one of its residence halls Wednesday that they would have to move out to make room for self-isolating peers.

"I recognize that this is unexpected news and that shifting residence halls will disrupt your semester. I am sorry for the disruption, and we are here to support you academically, socially, mentally, and financially," Frank Cuevas, vice chancellor for student life, said in an email to residents of Massey Hall Wednesday. "I know this is not how you envisioned your semester, and we will work to support you through this. As circumstances evolve on campus we are adjusting our operational plans to help manage through this pandemic, with our top priority being the health and well-being of our campus community."

Like many major public universities, Tennessee is seeing large numbers of students test positive for COVID-19 and much larger numbers in isolation or quarantine. The University of Tennessee System coronavirus dashboard shows a doubling of the number of students in either isolation or quarantine at the Knoxville campus between Aug. 31 and Sept. 8, to 2025 from 990.

Tennessee officials said the hotel they had secured was inadequate to house all the isolating students. They chose Massey for the overflow, they said, because of its size and the fact that it has proportionally few students living there now. The students who live there can choose between either moving to another residence hall on the campus or canceling their housing contract and moving back home. The university said it would provide "supplies and staff" to help students move to another room on the campus, and would "make every effort" to keep roommates together.
-- Doug Lederman Wisconsin-Madison Restricts Student Activities
Sept. 9, 6:29 a.m. The University of Wisconsin at Madison has restricted students to "essential activities" for two weeks, to control the spread of COVID-19.

The following activities were defined as essential:

Classes

Medical care, including COVID-19 testing

Purchasing food

Going to a job

"Engaging in an individual outdoor activity, such as running or walking"

Attending a religious service

The university reported an increase in positive test results for the virus.
-- Scott Jaschik
Florida State Shows Increase

"Florida State does not plan a shift to remote instruction at this time. If a decision is made to transition to all remote instruction in the future, the university will notify the community," the university said. "The current increase in cases was not unexpected as it correlates to the marked increase in voluntary testing of the campus community during the first two weeks of the fall semester."
-- Scott Jaschik
Advice for Keeping Students Safe Amid COVID-19 Outbreaks

Sept. 4, 10:20 a.m. As a growing number of colleges and universities struggle to control COVID-19 after resuming in-person instruction, the Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative (PRHI) released results of a survey of public health experts and others on how colleges should respond now to outbreaks of the virus. The more than 100 respondents to the survey included physicians, health-care administrators, students and community leaders.

Colleges should conduct daily saliva testing as well as random sample blood/mucosal testing to track the spread, prevalence and incidence of the virus, the survey found. Respondents said colleges also should have contact tracing capacity in place. The survey found that institutions should run crowdsourced symptom monitoring with as many students and employees as possible, using wearable wrist and bed sensor devices. And it said colleges should require students to wear a device to track their movement and notify students when they are not practicing adequate social distancing.

"The safety of our campuses for students, faculty, staff, surrounding neighborhoods and local health personnel requires vigorous and innovative measures. To date, we have not seen a national strategy to address these outbreaks and ensure the safety of those involved with higher education. The suggestions provided through this survey can help universities answer these difficult questions and make decisions based in science and a public health approach," Karen Wolk Feinstein, president and CEO of PRHI, said in a statement.

Masks should be mandatory for students, the survey said. And colleges should use and enforce codes of conduct to encourage social distancing. The survey also said colleges should not penalize faculty members for choosing to work remotely.

The group of respondents said college leaders should close hot spots for transmission, including bars that violate protocols and fraternity homes.

"Close fraternity houses. Period," the report on the survey's results said.

Respondents urged college leaders to communicate with their local communities about measures institutions have taken to keep them safe.

"Ask the community how they think the university can be a partner in protecting all," the report said. "They did not have a voice in campus reopenings, so engage them now."

The Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative is the operating arm of the Jewish Healthcare Foundation and a member of the national Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement.

Penn State Amends Doctor's Comments on Athletes and Myocarditis

Sept. 4, 9:45 a.m. Pennsylvania State University has issued new information after its director of athletic medicine drew attention this week by saying in a public meeting that about a third of Big Ten Conference athletes who tested positive for the coronavirus showed signs of myocarditis.

The official, Wayne Sebastianelli, made the comments Monday at a local school board meeting about "initial preliminary data that had been verbally shared by a colleague on a forthcoming study," a Penn State Health spokesman said, according to multiple news outlets. Sebastianelli didn't know the study had been published with a significantly lower rate of myocarditis -- about 15 percent for athletes who had the virus.

Penn State also said that its athletes who'd tested positive for the coronavirus had no cases of myocarditis.

Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle that can cut the heart's ability to pump and cause abnormal heart rhythms, according to the Mayo Clinic. Untreated, it can cause permanent damage to the heart and lead to heart failure, heart attack, stroke or sudden death.
-- Rick Seltzer
Maryland Suspends Athletic Activities After COVID-19 Spike

Maryland said that 501 student athletes were tested for COVID-19 on Monday and Tuesday. Of those, 46 had positive tests. They were on 10 teams.

The Big Ten is not playing games this fall, but has been allowing athletes who have tested negative to practice.
-- Scott Jaschik
Democrats Urge Campus Ban on Vaping During Pandemic

Sept. 3, 5:46 p.m. Top House and Senate Democrats are urging the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to advise colleges to bar e-cigarettes for the fall semester.

In the letter, Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, chairman of the House economic and consumer policy oversight subcommittee, and Senator Dick Durbin cited a Journal of Adolescent Health study, which found that 13- to 24-year-olds who vape are five times more likely than nonvapers to be diagnosed with COVID-19.

"With the added public health risk posed by coronavirus, the CDC must act quickly and forcefully," wrote Krishnamoorthi and Durbin, both of Illinois.
-- Kery Murakami
Union Calls on Louisiana Board to End Face-to-Face Activities

Sept. 3, 3:30 p.m. The United Campus Workers of Louisiana today called for regents to stop face-to-face activities because of the coronavirus.

A statement from the union, which was chartered a year ago and has about 120 members who are graduate workers, faculty members and staff members, focused heavily on the situation at Louisiana State University. LSU has counted a total of 366 positive cases of COVID-19 since Aug. 15, with most coming since Aug. 25.

More information has been learned about the transmission of the coronavirus since the university created its reopening plans, the union said in its statement. It raised concerns about the risk of transmission in enclosed spaces and from people who are not showing symptoms of the infection.

"In light of these facts, reopening a university system that operates in all 64 parishes in Louisiana endangers everyone in the state, particularly the state's underserved and high-risk populations," said the union's statement. "For the safety of the LSU community and the state at large, United Campus Workers of Louisiana calls on the Louisiana Board of Regents to act in accordance with its 'constitutional mandate to serve the educational, health care and economic development goals of Louisiana' and immediately halt face to face activities on campus."

The statement comes shortly after LSU's interim president, Tom Galligan, said four student organizations have been charged with violating the university's code of conduct regarding the coronavirus. Video has surfaced that appears to show off-campus parties with few precautions in place.

"We have seen the videos, and they are very concerning," Galligan said, according to KSLA. "We're going to investigate, communicate and, as necessary, we'll enforce."

Galligan also signaled a high level of concern about the virus's spread.

"I'm concerned and I'm monitoring and we're looking at it very carefully, because if it keeps going up, we're going to go remote," he said, according to KSLA.

The union does not have a collective bargaining agreement with LSU.
-- Rick Seltzer
Positive Cases Top 1,000 at the University of Dayton

Sept. 3, 2:43 p.m. The University of Dayton announced this afternoon on its COVID-19 dashboard that the cumulative number of positive cases among students on campus has reached 1,042, including 639 active cases. The rest -- 403 students -- have recovered.

The private university enrolls roughly 11,500 students, including about 9,000 undergraduates, meaning its total positive cases comprise almost 10 percent of all students. The university's first day of classes was Aug. 24. UD has created five campus status levels for COVID-19, with level five being to largely vacate the campus and have most students leave on-campus housing. The university reached level four last week, which includes pivoting to remote learning while students stay in on-campus housing. It shifted to remote learning last month when cases spiked.

UD in a statement cited a flattening of seven-day averages for new positive cases as an encouraging sign. It said the university has been aggressive with the testing, isolation and quarantining of students.

"University leaders continue to work closely with local public health officials and UD's panel of local medical experts to monitor, assess and contain the situation on campus," the university said. "We will determine next week what steps to take based on the situation and trends we see at that time. While we hope the trends will indicate that we can return to at least some in-person learning, we also may need to consider further restrictions, including the possibility of moving to fully remote learning, if Public Health believes our campus is contributing to broader community spread."

About One-Third of Positive Big Ten Athletes Showed Signs of Myocarditis

Sept. 3, 1:00 p.m. A potentially dangerous inflammation of the heart muscle was detected in about a third of Big Ten Conference athletes who'd tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Centre Daily Times.

Pennsylvania State University's director of athletic medicine, Wayne Sebastianelli, shared the estimate at a State College area school Board of Directors meeting Monday, the newspaper reported. MRI scans showed the athletes in question had myocarditis, an inflammation that can be deadly if not addressed.

"When we looked at our COVID-positive athletes, whether they were symptomatic or not, 30 to roughly 35 percent of their heart muscles [are] inflamed," Sebastianelli said. "And we really just don't know what to do with it right now. It's still very early in the infection. Some of that has led to the Pac-12 and the Big Ten's decision to sort of put a hiatus on what's happening."

The Big Ten and Pac-12 postponed fall sports in August. Both cited uncertainty about college athletes' health amid coronavirus infections.

But other major football conferences continue to forge ahead with plans to hold modified seasons. That's led to some pushback, with Nebraska football players filing a lawsuit against the Big Ten. The lawsuit prompted the revelation that the league's members voted 11 to 3 in favor of postponing the football season. Recently, reports have surfaced that the Big Ten was discussing a season to begin the week of Thanksgiving.

Earlier today, ESPN reported that 21 universities in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Southeastern Conference and Big 12 Conference -- the three conferences making up college football's Power Five that plan to play sports this fall -- would not disclose data on COVID-19 cases when asked. Almost half of the 65 institutions across all Power Five conferences declined to share data about positive tests recorded to date.
-- Rick Seltzer
Many Colleges Playing Big-Time Football Withhold COVID-19 Numbers

Sept. 3, 12:15 p.m. Twenty-one institutions in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Southeastern Conference and Big 12 Conference declined to disclose positive COVID-19 cases among athletes to ESPN, citing federal student privacy laws, the media outlet reported. These three "Power Five" conferences are all preparing to play football games this month.

Of the 65 total Power Five institutions surveyed by ESPN, nearly one-third did not provide information about their coronavirus protocols for athletes in addition to withholding the number of positive tests among athletes, the outlet reported.

-- Greta Anderson

Temple Extends Remote Instruction for Rest of Semester

Sept. 3, 9:50 a.m. Four days after announcing a two-week suspension of in-person classes, Temple University in Philadelphia today extended the move for the rest of the fall semester for almost all courses.

Only essential courses -- those that require some in-person instruction to meet educational objectives -- are not covered by the decision. Temple estimates 95 percent of its courses will be delivered online for the rest of the semester.

Students in university housing who choose to leave by Sept. 13 will receive full refunds of housing and meal plan charges. But students can remain on campus if they want or need to do so.

"We know this is disappointing for the many students and their families who had hoped for an on-campus experience," said the university's president, Richard M. Englert, and its provost, JoAnne A. Epps, in a public letter announcing the decision. "Please know that if the data supported a decision to safely continue the fall semester experience on campus, we would have made every effort to do so. Unfortunately, the risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic are simply too great for our students, faculty, staff and neighboring community."

Two days ago, Philadelphia's health commissioner declared a COVID-19 outbreak at Temple. The university's COVID-19 dashboard listed 212 actives cases as of 1 p.m. yesterday, all among students. All but one were recorded among on-campus students.

Temple began fall classes 10 days ago, Aug. 24.
-- Rick Seltzer
Ohio State Reports 882 Positive Cases

Sept. 3, 8:32 a.m. Ohio State University reported 882 positive cases of COVID-19 among students, and 20 positives among employees. Classes began at Ohio State on Aug. 25.

The university has a 3.13 percent positivity rate among students and a 4.3 percent positivity rate average over the last week, according to its dashboard site. But it reported a 9.66 positivity rate for students who live off campus and were tested in the last 24 hours, with a 5.7 percent rate for students who live on campus. The university currently has 462 students in isolation and quarantine.

Ohio State recently suspended 228 students for violating coronavirus-related safety guidelines. And it has threatened to crack down on students who host gatherings of more than 10 people who are not wearing masks or social distancing.

30 of 40 Greek Houses at Indiana Are in Quarantine

There is an 8.1 percent positive rate among students living in fraternity and sorority housing. Residence halls have a 1.6 percent positive rate.

All communal houses at Indiana have been ordered to suspend activities, except housing and dining.
-- Scott Jaschik NCAA to Furlough All Employees Except Top Executives
Beginning Sept. 21, all staff members in the NCAA's national office will be furloughed for three weeks, according to the memo. And some employees will be furloughed for up to eight weeks depending on their jobs and the seasonal timing of their duties. USA Today reported in March that Mark Emmert, the NCAA's president, and other top managers were taking pay cuts of 20 percent. That move followed the cancellation of the Division I men's basketball tournament, which generates nearly all of the NCAA's roughly $1.1 billion in typical annual revenue, the newspaper reported.

Iowa State Reverses Plan to Play Football Opener in Front of 25,000 Fans

But the university's athletics department announced today that the game will be played without fans after all.

The statement from the athletics director, Jamie Pollard, didn't exactly embrace the decision, saying that Iowa State president Wendy Wintersteen had reversed the decision "after weighing feedback she has received from the community ... Our department has always taken great pride in working hand-in-hand with the university and this situation is no different. We are in this together and will do everything we can to support Dr. Wintersteen and her leadership team in their efforts to lead our institution during very challenging times."
-- Doug Lederman University of Georgia Reports 821 Cases in First Full Week of Classes
Of the 821 individuals with reported positive tests, 798 were students, 19 were staff members and four were faculty.

The university's surveillance testing program of asymptomatic students turned up 97 positive cases out of 1,810 tests conducted, for an overall positivity rate of 5.4 percent.

University of Georgia president Jere W. Morehead described the rise in positive tests as "concerning" and urged students to take steps to avoid exposure.

"I urge you: continue to wear your masks, maintain your distance from others, make wise decisions, and stay away from social venues where appropriate distancing is impossible to maintain," Morehead said on Twitter. "Resist the temptation to organize or attend a large social gathering. And, for those of you heading out of town over the Labor Day weekend, be very careful and think about the health of everyone around you."
-- Elizabeth Redden
University of Kentucky at 760 Cases, Only Testing Greek Life Members

Sept. 2, 12:55 p.m. The health department for Lexington, Ky., has reported that there have been 760 coronavirus cases among students at the University of Kentucky.

The university tested every on-campus student upon arrival, resulting in 254 positive results, and is currently retesting 5,000 members of Greek life organizations.

But it has no current plans to test other students or student populations. University officials have said they are waiting on further data to decide how to proceed, The Louisville Courier-Journal reported.
-- Lilah Burke
All-Student Quarantine at Gettysburg

Sept. 2, 7:50 a.m. Gettysburg College announced late Tuesday that all of its students must quarantine in their residence halls through at least the end of the week, in an effort to slow the spread of the virus that has infected 25 of 348 students tested through Tuesday afternoon.

"This interim all-student quarantine allows us to better understand the path of the virus on campus, informed by the results of the remainder of this week's tests," the dean of students, Julie Ramsey, wrote in a message to the campus. All classes will be remote and students can leave their rooms only to pick up food, use the bathroom or get their COVID-19 test.

Ramsey said college officials would reassess their plan for the rest of the semester at the end of the week.
-- Doug Lederman James Madison Goes Remote in September
Sept. 2, 6:28 a.m. James Madison University announced Tuesday that it is abandoning plans for an in-person semester, instead moving to an online September.

President Jonathan R. Alger wrote to students and faculty members that "We spent the last several months planning to start this year with a mix of in-person, hybrid, and online classes. In the days since students have been back on campus, we have observed their vibrancy, excitement to engage with their faculty, and large-scale adherence to COVID-19 rules and guidance. However, we have also observed troubling public health trends. As a result of a rapid increase in the number of positive cases of COVID-19 in our student population in a short period of time, the university is concerned about capacity in the number of isolation and quarantine spaces we can provide. Protecting the health of our Harrisonburg and Rockingham County community -- including students, faculty, staff -- is our top priority, and we need to act swiftly to stop the spread as best we can."

Alger continued, "After consultation with the Virginia Department of Health, James Madison University will transition to primarily online learning, with some hybrid instruction for accreditation and licensure requirements, graduate research, and specialized upper-class courses requiring equipment and space, through the month of September."

-- Scott Jaschik

COVID-19 'Outbreak' Declared at Temple University

Sept. 1, 4:15 p.m. The Philadelphia health commissioner on Tuesday said there is a COVID-19 "outbreak" at Temple University and told students to "assume everyone around you is infected," 6ABC reported.

The university reverted to online instruction on Sunday after reporting 103 people on campus had tested positive for the coronavirus. According to contact tracing, the outbreak stemmed from off-campus apartments and small social gatherings, 6ABC reported.

"For any Temple student who is listening to this today, I want to be really clear, and we are asking you to follow this guidance: you should assume that everyone around you is infected," Thomas Farley, the city's health commissioner, said during a press conference Tuesday.

-- Greta Anderson

White House Warns Against Sending Infected Students Home

Sept. 1, 3:58 p.m. White House officials are worried college students infected by coronavirus will go back to their home communities and spread the disease. Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House's coronavirus coordinator, in a call Monday called on governors to urge college presidents in their states not to send students who test positive for the virus home and to keep them on or near campuses.

Not doing so could lead to another national outbreak, Birx said, according to an aide to one of the governors who was on the call, which included Vice President Mike Pence and Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Birx cited the University of Wisconsin at Madison as an example. The university has set up housing for students to isolate themselves if they test positive, and for others at high risk of having been exposed to quarantine themselves, so that the rest of campus can continue functioning.

The call was first reported by The Daily Beast. The site quoted Birx as having said, "Sending these individuals back home in their asymptomatic state to spread the virus in their hometown or among their vulnerable households could really recreate what we experienced over the June time frame in the South. So I think every university president should have a plan for not only testing but caring for their students that need to isolate."

Terry Hartle, the American Council on Education's senior vice president for government and public affairs, said colleges already are doing what Birx urged. "Any college that brings students back to campus will have a clear plan in place to isolate those who test positive and to provide medical assistance to individuals who need it," he said. "There is simply no way that a campus would go through the extensive planning related to reopening in the COVID environment -- cleaning, testing, tracing and distancing -- and fail to ask themselves, 'How do we isolate and treat students who test positive?'"
-- Kery Murakami
With Many Students Quarantined, Colorado College Goes Virtual

Sept. 1, 1:30 p.m. First Colorado College quarantined students in one of its three residence halls for two weeks after a student tested positive for COVID-19. Then the liberal arts college in Colorado Springs had to do the same with its other two residence halls, just as the first residence hall completed its quarantine period.

On Tuesday, college officials conceded that "despite our rigorous testing and response protocols ... our earlier plans to bring the rest of our student body to campus ... are no longer feasible." The college plans to deliver classes remotely for the rest of 2020 and require all students not in quarantine to leave campus by mid-September.

Colorado is probably best known for its block scheduling plan, which multiple colleges copied this year presuming that it would give them more flexibility to respond to potential COVID-19-required pivots.

The college's COVID-19 dashboard shows only three positive cases (out of 1,111 tests), but it has not been updated since last Wednesday. The dashboard showed about a quarter of its 805 students living on campus as being in either quarantine or isolation, again as of last Wednesday.
-- Doug Lederman
Illinois State Records Over 1,000 Cases

Sept. 1, 12:30 p.m. More than 1,000 students have tested positive for COVID-19 at Illinois State University roughly two weeks into the fall semester.

The 1,023 cases the university reported as of Tuesday represent nearly 5 percent of its student body, WGLT reported. The university has conducted about 4,400 tests at three locations on campus since Aug. 17, and its testing positivity rate for the last week is 24 percent.

Illinois State is located in Normal, Ill., which has enacted emergency orders aimed at curbing the spread of infections. One of those orders is a temporary ban on gatherings of more than 10 people near campus. The other in part requires customers at bars and restaurants that serve alcohol to be seated to be served.

University leaders say they have moved 80 percent of classes online, are encouraging faculty and staff members to work remotely if possible, and have de-densified dorms. But Illinois State's on-campus coronavirus testing is reportedly slower and more expensive than tests being used in large numbers at the state flagship, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Illinois State was forced to change its testing strategy after the federal government redirected testing supplies to nursing homes -- a series of events that contributed to university leaders deciding to shift plans toward online classes about a month ago, as the start of the semester neared.
-- Rick Seltzer
Trump Adviser Says College Football Is Safe

Sept. 1, 6:39 a.m. Scott Atlas, an adviser to President Trump on the coronavirus, said Monday that college football can be played safely during the pandemic, Click Orlando reported.

He said college football players "are among the most fit people in the universe. They're very low-risk people."

"They have testing, they have doctors. This is the best possible healthy environment for the healthiest people. And so to start saying that we can't have these sports when so many people in the community also depend upon the athletes themselves or their families -- this shouldn't really be a point of controversy," Atlas said.

The Big Ten and Pac-12 Conferences called off the 2020 season due to coronavirus concerns, but other big-time football conferences are playing this fall.
-- Scott Jaschik
U of New England Warns Students They May Face Charges

Sept. 1, 6:27 a.m. The University of New England, in Maine, is warning students who attended an off-campus party that they will face disciplinary action, News Center Maine reported.

President James Herbert announced the university's first positive case of COVID-19 and two additional cases among undergraduate students.

Herbert said the cases stemmed from "precisely the situation we have warned students against -- a large off-campus gathering without masks and [social] distancing."
-- Scott Jaschik
Students, Employees Hold 'Die-in' at Georgia College

Aug. 28, 12:30 p.m. Students and staff members at Georgia College staged a protest this morning as the public liberal arts college's COVID-19 numbers continue to mount.

The "die-in," which was sponsored by the United Campus Workers of Georgia at GCSU union, featured masked and (mostly) physically distanced students and employees carrying signs such as "I can't teach if I'm dead" and "I won't die for the USG," a reference to the University System of Georgia, of which Georgia College is a part.

UCWGA-GCSU is demanding online learning options for students and instructors, hazard pay, contact tracing, greater diagnostic testing and security from layoffs. The union has said neither testing nor quarantine housing has been provided by the university. Up to a third of students may currently be in quarantine.

College officials, who have issued mild statements and declined to answer numerous questions from Inside Higher Ed reporters as the proportion of students with COVID-19 has hit 8 percent, have said any decisions about the campus's status must be made in consultation with officials from the system and from the state health department. Georgia's governor, Brian Kemp, has generally opposed aggressive efforts to contain the coronavirus.

Georgia College updated its COVID-19 webpage Friday morning to add another 40 student cases from Thursday, pushing its student total to 514 and its campus total to 535. The college has about 7,000 students total, but its on-campus population is lower.
-- Doug Lederman
Notre Dame Plans to Restart Undergraduate Classes in Person

Aug. 28, 11:05 a.m. The University of Notre Dame is moving to hold in-person undergraduate classes again in stages starting Wednesday, it announced this morning.

Notre Dame will resume in-person classes after two weeks of remote undergraduate instruction and physical lockdown prompted by spiking COVID-19 infections. The university announced Aug. 18 that it was closing public spaces on campus, restricting access to residence halls and asking students not to come to campus while its leaders reassessed plans amid a rising coronavirus infection rate.

At the time, Notre Dame counted 147 confirmed cases since Aug. 3 out of a total of 927 tests performed. The university only began classes Aug. 10.

When announcing that it plans to resume in-person classes for undergraduates, Notre Dame said that the number of new cases has decreased "substantially." It cited a positivity rate of 6.3 percent from Aug. 20 through Aug. 25, as well as a positivity rate of less than 1 percent among over 1,200 surveillance tests on "members of the campus community."

The university's COVID-19 dashboard shows 12 new positive cases out of 409 total tests on Wednesday, the last day for which data have been posted. In the first three days of this week, it shows 66 new positive cases out of a total of 1,504 tests.

"With these encouraging numbers, we believe we can plan to return to in-person classes and gradually open up the campus," the university's president, the Reverend John I. Jenkins, said in a news release.

Two security firms and state troopers have been monitoring off-campus quarantine sites at Notre Dame after students were said to be leaving them in violation of rules, The South Bend Tribune reported yesterday. A Notre Dame spokesman has declined to provide additional information, citing student privacy concerns.

Father Jenkins said he was proud of staff members who have gone "above and beyond their ordinary responsibilities to keep the campus open and safe." He also stressed those on campus should wear masks, maintain physical distance, wash their hands, complete a daily health check, report for surveillance testing as requested and limit social gatherings to 10 or fewer people.

"The virus dealt us a blow and we stumbled, but we steadied ourselves and now we move on," Father Jenkins said. "Let us redouble our diligence in observing health protocols and recommit to a semester of learning and growth. Together, we are writing one of the great comebacks in Notre Dame history."

Colleges across the country have been grappling with the question of how they will decide whether to continue holding in-person classes amid COVID-19 spikes. Relatively few have posted firm guidelines.

The World Health Organization has recommended that governments should not begin reopening until positivity testing rates remain at or below 5 percent for at least 14 days.
-- Rick Seltzer
U of Michigan President Sorry for Comparing COVID-19 Testing to HIV Testing

Aug. 28, 6:23 a.m. University of Michigan president Mark Schlissel apologized this week for comparing the COVID-19 pandemic to the HIV epidemic of the 1980s, MLive reported.

Schlissel said during a town hall that testing can give a false sense of security, and "that happened in the HIV epidemic when people got a negative test, and they presented it to their sex partners and spread the disease nonetheless."

UM's Queer Advocacy Coalition criticized the statement for reinforcing stereotypes about gay people.

"The analogy I used is not a good or fair one. In using this analogy to make my point, I unintentionally reinforced stereotypes that have been historically and unjustly assigned to the LGBTQIA+ community as well as other communities and persons affected by HIV and AIDS," Schlissel wrote to the Queer Advocacy Coalition. "Again, for this I apologize, especially as it relates to groups that have been historically maligned and stereotyped. It was not my intention to disparage any community or person affected by HIV and AIDS."
-- Scott Jaschik
U of South Carolina President 'Will Pull the Plug if I Have To'

Aug. 28, 5:30 a.m. Bob Caslen, president of the University of South Carolina, has ordered the development of a plan to shut down the campus after the number of cases of COVID-19 doubled in a day, to 380, The Post and Courier reported.

"We cannot sustain [191] new cases a day," Caslen told faculty and staff. "And I certainly will pull the plug if I have to."

Many of the cases are from the Greek system. Five houses are under quarantine.

"Was it predictable? Yes. Is it acceptable? Absolutely not," Caslen said. "We had appealed to students to do the right thing, although we knew realistically what we could expect."
-- Scott Jaschik
Bloomsburg University, Kalamazoo Go All Online for Semester

Aug. 27, 2:52 p.m. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania and Kalamazoo College have both announced that all classes will be online for the fall semester.

Bashar W. Hanna, Bloomsburg's president, said that he wanted to offer courses in person. "Unfortunately, the circumstances have changed, and we have seen a concerning trend in positive COVID-19 cases within the BU community. After consultation with my leadership team, the members of our Council of Trustees, and the Office of the Chancellor, I have decided that, effective Monday, August 31, BU will transition to remote learning for all courses in progress," he said.

Jorge G. Gonzalez, president of Kalamazoo, said, "I know that this is a deeply disappointing decision for everyone, especially for those of you looking forward to your first on-campus experience. While faculty and staff across the college are prepared for a return to campus next month, external factors have led us to this difficult decision."
-- Scott Jaschik
Cuomo Outlines Remote Learning Thresholds Via Twitter

Aug. 27, 2:45 p.m. New York governor Andrew Cuomo took to Twitter this morning to outline metrics that would trigger remote learning at colleges with coronavirus outbreaks.

"As college students return to campus, schools must be prepared for all possibilities," he wrote. "If a college experiences 100 COVID cases or an outbreak equal to 5 percent of its population (whichever is less) -- that college MUST go to remote learning for 2 weeks while the situation is evaluated."

Many of the colleges that have already seen outbreaks this fall have reported case counts much higher than those thresholds.
-- Lilah Burke
Georgia College Has 447 Cases, More Than 6% of Student Body

Aug. 26, 3:00 p.m. A total of 447 people -- and roughly 440 students -- at Georgia College have contracted COVID-19, according to the public liberal arts institution's public dashboard. That is more than 6 percent of its nearly 7,000 students.

Inside Higher Ed's reporting has not revealed any other campus with anywhere near that proportion of COVID-19 positivity among the student body to date.

Officials at the college did not respond to several inquiries from Inside Higher Ed about how many students are in isolation or quarantining, or about the college's plans to restrict in-person events or learning.
-- Doug Lederman
Under Pressure, Arizona State Publishes Some COVID-19 Data

Aug. 26, 1:50 p.m. Arizona State University has come under criticism in recent weeks for declining to publish data about the spread of COVID-19 among its 100,000-plus students and employees, citing privacy concerns. On Wednesday, the university responded -- partially.

In a message to the campus, President Michael Crow said that the university had test results from 32,729 students and employees and has "161 known positive cases within our community," including students and staff members on and off the campus.

Crow said he knew that there "has been and will continue to be interest in this number," and he committed to "regular updates about our COVID management strategy."

But in response to an inquiry from Inside Higher Ed, an Arizona State spokesman acknowledged via email that the university did not plan to "have a dashboard/website, etc. with a running total. But we will have regular updates on trends -- and we will be disclosing case counts in the future updates."

University officials have cited privacy concerns as a reason not to publish COVID-19 case data regularly, but experts have dismissed that as a valid reason not to publish information that is not personally identifiable.
-- Doug Lederman
USC Reports 43 Cases, Despite Holding Classes Online

Aug. 25, 8:58 a.m. The University of Southern California resumed classes one week ago, with most of its courses offered online. Residence halls have remained largely closed and the university told students they should not return to Los Angeles for the fall term. Despite these efforts, the university has reported 43 COVID-19 cases among students living in off-campus housing. Over 100 students are now in quarantine due to exposure, according to a memo from Sarah Van Orman, chief health officer for USC Student Health.

"This increase comes despite the continued State and County health guidance that significantly restricts in-person instruction and on-campus activities for universities located in counties that are on the state's COVID-19 monitoring list, including Los Angeles County," Van Orman wrote. "For students who remain on or near campus in shared living arrangements, we strongly advise you to act with caution and strictly follow all guidelines for physical distancing (6 ft.), avoiding gatherings with other outside your home, wearing face coverings around others to protect against respiratory droplets and proceed with high adherence to hand hygiene and frequent surface contact cleaning."
-- Lilah Burke
Alabama Reports 531 Cases, 159 at Mizzou, 107 at Iowa

Aug. 25, 7:45 a.m. The University of Alabama on Monday had 531 positive cases of COVID-19 among its students, faculty and staff members, the University of Alabama system reported.

The university's classes began less than a week earlier, on Aug. 19. It reported 310 positive cases among nearly 30,000 students who were tested when they arrived on campus. Those cases were not included in the 531 new ones. The university's isolation space for students with the virus currently is 20 percent occupied, the system said.

In an attempt to tamp down the outbreak, the city of Tuscaloosa, where the university is located, on Monday shut down its bars and bar service at restaurants for two weeks, AL.com reported.

The University of Missouri at Columbia reported 159 active cases of the virus among its students on Monday, the first day of classes at the university.

The University of Iowa also began its in-person classes on Monday. It had 107 self-reported cases among students during the previous week, and four among employees.

Alabama's president, Stuart Bell, did not blame students when addressing the spike in cases.

"Our challenge is not the students," Bell said, according to AL.com. "Our challenge is the virus and there's a difference, folks. What we have to do is identify where does the virus thrive and where does the virus spread and how can we work together with our students, with our faculty and with our staff to make sure that we minimize those places, those incidents. It's not student behavior, OK. It's how do we have protocols so that we make it to where our students can be successful, and we can minimize the impact of the virus."
Ohio State University Hands Out 228 Interim Suspensions -- Lilah Burke
Cases Spike at Auburn, Bars Shutter in Tuscaloosa

Students packed bars in downtown Auburn over the weekend, AL.com reported. And officials now are investigating reports of students not wearing masks or practicing social distancing in the bars. The state of Alabama has a mask mandate in place until the end of the month.

The University of Alabama today declined to release specific numbers of positive cases on campus, according to AL.com. But the University of Alabama system plans to announce those numbers later today.

Cases appear to be spreading in Tuscaloosa, however, where the university is located. And the city today closed bars and suspended bar service at restaurants for two weeks, the site reported, to try to slow the spread of the virus.

"They have made tough decisions, and I appreciate Mayor Walt Maddox and the University of Alabama leadership for tackling a serious problem as quickly as possible," Kay Ivey, the state's Republican governor, said in a statement.
On the First Day of Class for Many, Zoom Is Down
Aug. 24, 10:00 a.m. The academic year is off to a rough start at several institutions.

Zoom, the videoconferencing platform now used by nearly everyone during the age of social distancing, is facing technical difficulties. The company's meetings and video webinar services were partially down since at least 8:51 a.m. Eastern time, according to its status updates site.

The outages are concentrated on the East Coast, according to website that tracks outages of online platforms. By about 11 a.m., service was restored for some users.

Students and faculty members at several universities posted about the disruption on social media, including those at Temple and Widener Universities, Florida State University, and Pennsylvania State University.

A company spokesperson provided the following statement: "We have resolved an issue that caused some users to be unable to start and join Zoom Meetings and Webinars or manage aspects of their account on the Zoom website. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience."
-- Madeline St. Amour
University of Iowa Drops Four Sports, Citing Impact of COVID-19

Aug. 21, 4:35 p.m. The University of Iowa announced Friday that it would discontinue four sports teams, citing a nearly $100 million decline in athletics revenue due to the Big Ten Conference's decision to forgo fall competition. As part of a plan to close a deficit of up to $75 million in the 2020-21 fiscal year, Iowa said it would end its varsity programs in men's gymnastics, men's and women's swimming and diving, and men's tennis after the current academic year.

President Bruce Harreld said the university considered several factors in addition to cost-cutting in its decision, including Iowa's compliance with federal gender equity requirements and the state of the sports within the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

"We are heartbroken for our student-athletes, coaches and staff," Harreld said. "We also understand how disappointing this is for our letterwinners, alumni, donors and community members who have helped build these programs."
-- Doug Lederman
North Carolina State, La Salle Move Undergraduate Classes Online

Aug. 20, 2:41 p.m. North Carolina State University announced Thursday that all undergraduate courses this semester will be online.

Randy Woodson, the chancellor, wrote that "battling the spread of COVID-19 is a challenging endeavor even when everyone is practicing safety measures. Unfortunately, the actions of a few are jeopardizing the health and safety of the larger community. This week we've seen a rapidly increasing trend in COVID-19 infections in the NC State community, including the clusters mentioned above. As of today, through our aggressive contact tracing program we have more than 500 students in quarantine and isolation, mostly off campus, who have either tested positive or have been in contact with someone who has tested positive. We are also investigating other potential off-campus clusters. To best protect the health and safety of the entire campus community, we are making difficult decisions and implementing the following changes to campus operations."

He said that all undergraduate classes would be online, effective Monday. Currently, a majority of classes are online.

Woodson added that students will be able to stay in residence halls. "We understand how important it is for many of our students, and their families, to have the benefits of an on-campus experience, even at this time of reduced operations. For our residential students who want to continue living on campus and receiving the support it provides, you are welcome to stay -- we are not closing on-campus housing," he wrote. "With oversight from dedicated staff and resident advisors, and the continued outstanding cooperation from student residents, we are confident that the spread of the virus can be limited. We'll continue proactively monitoring the virus with the hope of keeping on-campus housing open throughout the semester. Of course, we'll change direction if needed in order to protect our students and staff."

La Salle University, in Philadelphia, announced a similar move. However, the university will also close residence halls to most students.
-- Scott Jaschik
UConn Evicts Students Who Held Party Without Social Distancing

The university said the students were "endangering not only their own health and well-being, but that of others."

UConn dean of students Eleanor Daugherty and residential life director Pamela Schipani said in letter to all students that those who were evicted did not represent the entire student body. "Our residential community has demonstrated an admirable commitment to follow universal precautions and keep our community safe. In doing so, they have made considerable sacrifice. We cannot afford the cost to the public health that is associated with inviting students into a room for a late night party," they wrote. "The vast majority of our students are doing the right thing -- but every student needs to do the same."
-- Scott Jaschik
Drexel Pivots to Online, Pitt Extends Remote-Only

Aug. 19, 3:35 p.m. The University of Pittsburgh will extend its period of remote instruction until Sept. 14, Ann E. Cudd, the university's provost and senior vice chancellor, said in a written statement. Pitt began its fall term this week with remote classes and had planned to move to mostly in-person next week. But Cudd said the university made the adjustment today to "allow for completion of staged arrival and shelter-in-place procedures so that all students can start in-person classes at the same time."

Drexel University, located in Philadelphia, will remain closed to undergraduates with its courses remaining remote throughout the fall term.

"We had all hoped to stage our gradual return to campus," John Fry, Drexel's president, said in a statement, "but the shifting nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on other colleges and universities has necessitated a change of course for Drexel."

The University of Notre Dame on Tuesday announced it was suspending in-person classes for two weeks after a spike of COVID-19 cases among students. And Michigan State University told students who had planned to live in residence halls to stay home as the university moved courses that were scheduled for in-person formats to remote ones. Those moves followed the Monday decision by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to go remote and to send undergraduates home after several COVID-19 clusters emerged among students.

Warren and Tlaib Question Student Housing Developer Over Reopening Pressure

Aug. 19, 10 a.m. Two progressive members of Congress are probing a student housing developer for pressing universities this spring on the financial ramifications of their fall reopening plans and the possibility they would cut housing occupancy amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Rashida Tlaib, both Democrats, yesterday sent a letter to John G. Picerne, the founder and CEO of housing developer and operator Corvias. They requested information about the Rhode Island-based company allegedly "putting profits above public health during the COVID-19 pandemic."

As first reported in Inside Higher Ed earlier this month, Corvias wrote to public university officials in at least two states in May, telling university leaders the company had not accepted the risk of universities taking "unilateral actions" that would hurt student housing revenue. The company sent nearly identical letters to leaders at the University System of Georgia and Wayne State University in Detroit. Leaders at the Georgia system and many of its campuses where Corvias operates housing have denied any outside influence over their reopening decisions, as have Wayne State leaders.

Warren and Tlaib are asking Corvias to provide several pieces of information by Sept. 1. They include a list of all higher education partners for which the company manages, operates or builds student housing; copies of all written communications between the company and university partners regarding the status of student housing for the upcoming academic year; and information about whether the company has engaged in any legal action or communications telling colleges and universities they cannot reduce student housing occupancy.

Further, the Democrats' letter asks if Corvias agrees with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's risk assessments for student housing occupancy, what steps it is taking to reduce risks of student housing residences it manages and if the company consulted public health experts or state officials before making arguments about the number of students housed in buildings. They also seek copies of the agreements between the company and universities and details about how those agreements allow for company profits.

"Reports that Corvias has been pushing for a less restricted reopening of on-campus housing that would be inconsistent with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines raise serious questions about the nature of these partnerships and the private sector influences affecting campuses as they make important public health decisions for the Fall," Warren and Tlaib wrote.

Their letter also noted that an investigation of privatized housing in the military raised concerns about Corvias.

"It would be troubling if Corvias was once again prioritizing its profits over the health and safety of its residents," they wrote.

Corvias has not responded to multiple requests for comment since its May letters were first uncovered.
-- Rick Seltzer
Positive Cases Spike at Notre Dame

Aug. 18, 2:33 p.m. The University of Notre Dame reported 80 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on its campus today. The university's daily report included 418 new tests, for a positivity rate of roughly 19 percent.

Notre Dame welcomed students back to campus on Aug. 3 for its fall term, which it plans to conclude in late November. The university conducted pre-matriculation virus tests of all undergraduate and graduate students. It found 33 positive cases among those 11,836 tests, for a positivity rate of just 0.28 percent. Since Aug. 3, the university has reported a total of 147 confirmed cases from 927 tests.

Rev. John I. Jenkins, Notre Dame's president, is scheduled to "discuss with students the current state of COVID-19 cases at the university" later today.

COVID-19 Cluster at Kansas' Bethel College

Aug. 17, 4:25 p.m. Nearly 10 percent of the first roughly 500 students and employees tested for COVID-19 at Bethel College, in Kansas, have the virus, the local health agency and Bethel's president announced Monday.

In a videotaped statement, Jonathan Gering, Bethel's president, said that "approximately 50" of those tested as they came to campus this week had the virus, including 43 students and seven employees. Those who tested positive were in isolation on the campus, and contact tracing had begun to identify others who had contact with those infected. Some of those identified are already in quarantine, Gering said.

The 43 infected students came from "faraway states and nearby locations as well," Gering said. They represented a sizable fraction of Bethel's roughly 500-student enrollment, since only about two-thirds of students had arrived on campus already for Wednesday's planned first day of classes.

Gering said Bethel would delay the arrival of those students who had not yet come to the campus. "We'll get you here when it's safe to do so," he said. Courses will begin online.

He also said that the college had moved to "orange" in its color-coded virus response system, and that students would be discouraged from leaving campus and visitors barred from coming onto campus.
-- Doug Lederman
UNC Chapel Hill Pivots to Remote Instruction

Aug. 17, 4:05 p.m. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has announced that all of its undergraduate instruction will be remote, effective Aug. 19 -- nine days after the university held its first in-person classes for the fall term.

The university cited a "spate of COVID-19 infection clusters" in making the decision. Three announced clusters last week were in student housing, with a fourth linked to a fraternity. UNC on its COVID-19 dashboard reported 130 new positive student cases in the last week, and five positive cases among employees.

Chapel Hill reported a high and rapidly increasing positivity rate among the nearly 1,000 students it had tested as of this morning.

"In just the past week (Aug. 10-16), we have seen the COVID-19 positivity rate rise from 2.8 percent to 13.6 percent at Campus Health," said Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Chapel Hill's chancellor, and Robert A. Blouin, its executive vice chancellor and provost, wrote to employees.

In addition to shifting its instruction to remote learning, the university said it would continue to "greatly reduce residence hall occupancy," which it said were at 60 percent capacity.

Barbara K. Rimer, dean of UNC's Gillings School of Global Public Health, on Monday wrote on her blog that the university should "take an off-ramp and return to remote operations for teaching and learning."

She cited reports of noncompliance with social distancing by students off campus, saying the reopening was not working. "The rationale for taking an off-ramp now is that the number of clusters is growing and soon could become out of control, threatening the health of others on campus and in the community and putting scarce resources at risk," wrote Rimer.

UNC's campus health services reported that 177 students were in isolation Monday, with 349 in quarantine.

"There are no easy answers as the nation navigates through the pandemic. At this point we haven't received any information that would lead to similar modifications at any of our other universities," Peter Hans, the UNC system's president, said in a written statement. "Whether at Chapel Hill or another institution, students must continue to wear facial coverings and maintain social distancing, as their personal responsibility, particularly in off-campus settings, is critical to the success of this semester and to protect public health."

UNC Chapel Hill Faculty Call Emergency Meeting After Fourth COVID Cluster

Three of the announced clusters were in student housing complexes, and the fourth was linked to a fraternity.

The chair of the faculty, Mimi Chapman, wrote to the UNC System Board of Governors over the weekend urging it to give UNC Chapel Hill's chancellor authority to make decisions in response to the pandemic.

"We knew there would be positive cases on our campus. But clusters, five or more people that are connected in one place, are a different story," Chapman wrote. "The presence of clusters should be triggering reconsideration of residential, in-person learning. However, moving to remote instruction cannot be done without your approval."

Classes began at the Chapel Hill campus last week. The university opened for in-person classes over the objections of the local county health director.
-- Elizabeth Redden
UNC Chapel Hill Reports 2 COVID-19 Clusters

Aug. 14, 4:32 p.m. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill informed students, faculty and staff members this afternoon that it has identified two clusters of COVID-19 cases at student housing complexes.

A cluster is five or more cases in close proximity within a single residential hall or dwelling. Those in the clusters "are isolating and receiving medical monitoring," according to an alert issued this afternoon. Local health officials have been notified, and efforts are under way to identify others who could have been exposed.

"All residents in these living spaces have been provided additional information about these clusters and next steps," the alert said. "Contact tracing has been initiated with direct communication to anyone determined to have been a close contact with a positive individual. A close contact is defined as someone who has been within 6 feet of an infected person for more than 15 minutes when either person has not been wearing a face covering. Those identified as a close contact will be notified directly and provided with further guidance."

The clusters are at the Ehringhaus Community and Granville Towers. Ehringhaus has four-bedroom suites and is heavily skewed toward first-year student residents. Granville Towers are privately managed.

Chapel Hill's COVID-19 dashboard shows main campus housing occupancy at 60.7 percent as of Monday and Granville Towers occupancy at 76.6 percent.

The university cited the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act when issuing the alert. That act set requirements for disseminating health and safety information on campus. But Chapel Hill does not plan to provide details about individual positive cases, citing privacy considerations and laws.

Chapel Hill held its first day of classes Monday.
-- Rick Seltzer Twenty-Eight COVID-19 Cases at the U. of Tennessee, Knoxville -- Lilah Burke
Medical Advisers to NCAA Discourage Fall Sports Competition

Aug. 13, 1:30 p.m. Several medical experts with key roles in advising the National Collegiate Athletic Association offered discouraging words about fall sports competition in a conference call with reporters Thursday, according to news reports.

"I feel like the Titanic. We have hit the iceberg, and we're trying to make decisions of what time should we have the band play," ESPN quoted Dr. Carlos Del Rio, executive associate dean at Emory University and a member of the NCAA's COVID-19 advisory panel, as saying. "We need to focus on what's important. What's important right now is we need to control this virus. Not having fall sports this year, in controlling this virus, would be to me the No. 1 priority."

Most college sports conferences have opted not to hold intercollegiate competition this fall, but several leagues that play high-profile (and high-dollar) football are planning to play on.

Dr. Colleen Kraft, an associate professor of infectious diseases at Emory and a member of the NCAA panel, said of the leagues planning to compete: "There will be transmissions [of COVID-19], and they will have to stop their games," according to ESPN.

Officials at the Big Ten and the Pac-12, the two leagues in the Power Five football series that have opted not to play this fall, have especially cited concerns about apparently increased incidence of myocarditis, a potentially deadly heart condition, related to COVID-19. The NCAA's chief medical officer, Dr. Brian Hainline, said on the conference call that between 1 and 2 percent of all athletes who've been tested by NCAA members have tested positive for the coronavirus, and that at least a dozen have myocarditis, ESPN reported.

Dr. Kraft said colleges were "playing with fire" regarding myocarditis.
-- Doug Lederman
Athletic Departments May Need 'Extraordinary Support' as Cancellations Hit Revenue

Aug. 13, 12:23 p.m. The recent spate of athletic conference decisions to postpone fall sports means substantial revenue shocks for college athletic departments, and cutting expenses will not always be enough to absorb the blow, according to a new report from Moody's Investors Service.

Because sports are strategically important for universities, Moody's expects universities to provide "extraordinary support" like internal loans in order to stay current on debt payments for athletic facilities. Colleges and universities may tap their financial reserves to close budget gaps tied to the pandemic, the ratings agency said in a report released Thursday morning.

"Athletic expenses have grown significantly in recent years, including certain fixed costs such as debt service, which will impact universities' ability to adjust to the disruption," said Dennis Gephardt, vice president at Moody's, in a statement.

Fall sports cancellations reached a crescendo this week when two of the most important conferences for college football, the Big Ten and the Pac-12, joined many non-Power Five conferences and programs in pulling the plug on fall sports amid COVID-19 concerns. Although the Atlantic Coast Conference, Southeastern Conference and Big 12 were still hoping to play football, the ramifications of existing cancellations will be felt across higher education.

Football has been the biggest driver of athletic revenue in the sector. Football contributed $5.8 billion in 2018, a whopping 40 percent of the $14.6 billion in total athletic revenue counted by Moody's. Growth in revenue has been driven by media rights like the payments television networks make for the right to broadcast games.

Disappearing ticket sales will also hit revenue. Although some donor support might be expected to offset losses, a significant portion of donor support comes from seating priority programs -- donors buying the right to pick seats under certain conditions.

This situation is particularly important because the median athletic department broke even in 2018, meaning a significant number of departments lost money.

Moody's called that year a relatively strong revenue year. Still, more than a third of Division I public universities, 37 percent, reported expenses exceeded revenue that year. The median operating deficit among that group was 3 percent.

Conferences that generate more athletic revenue generally reported better operating performance than others. The financial health of operations varies greatly across athletic conferences.

"Compensation for coaches as well as other athletic support and administrative expenses among NCAA Division I members make up the largest portion of the expense base for a combined 35 percent and will be a focus for expense management efforts in fiscal 2021," Moody's said in its note. "With games canceled, universities will save some money on game day operations and travel expenses."

Athletics requires more capital than other arms of higher education. Median debt-to-operating-revenue was 58 percent for public higher education overall, compared to 66 percent for institutions competing in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. Facility expenses and debt service at Division I public universities drove increases in debt between 2013 and 2018, with debt growing 54 percent in that period to a total of $2.3 billion.

"Given the revenue shocks, many athletic departments will not be able to cover debt service with net revenue from recurring operations, prompting the need to fill the gap from appropriate auxiliary and/or other reserves. In many cases, this is likely to take the form of internal loans that the athletic departments will need to repay the university over time," the Moody's report said.

All of this follows the cancellation of the NCAA basketball tournaments in the spring. Men's basketball accounted for about 15 percent of 2018 athletic revenue across higher education. Women's basketball was 7 percent.

Still to be determined is how the spread of COVID-19 affects sports scheduled for later in the year and how universities balance pressures on athletics against pressures to other parts of their operations.

"Budget difficulties at athletic departments will add to the financial strains facing universities, including a tuition revenue pinch, reduced state funding and incremental expenses to combat the coronavirus," the Moody's report said.
-- Rick Seltzer
A survey by Pearson finds that 77 percent of Americans think that reopening colleges and universities is vital to a healthy economy. But 62 percent say colleges and universities are risking the lives of students by reopening in the fall.
--Scott Jaschik
Aug. 11, 4:40 p.m. The Pac-12, another "Power Five" conference, quickly followed the Big Ten Conference with a decision to postpone fall sports for the remainder of 2020 at its institutions on the West Coast. The postponement also includes winter sports, which are on hold for the remainder of the year, and the conference will consider playing all sports impacted by the decision in 2021, the Pac-12 said in a release about the decision.

Three Power Five conferences, the Big 12, Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference, which include the nation's top football programs and gain most from the sport's financial benefits, have not yet announced postponement of the fall sports season and are moving forward with modified schedules as of Aug. 11.

Kevin Warren, commissioner of the Big Ten, said in a news release that athletes' mental and physical health was "at the center" of the decision and that the coronavirus posed too many potential medical risks for the season to proceed this fall. Spring competition for football and other fall sports, including cross country, field hockey, soccer and volleyball, will be considered, the Big Ten said in the statement.
-- Greta Anderson Notre Dame President Apologizes for Photos
Aug. 11, 7:20 a.m. Rev. John I. Jenkins, president of the University of Notre Dame, has apologized for letting several students take photographs of him that were not safe.

"In a few instances, over recent days, I stopped for photos with some of you on the quad," Father Jenkins wrote to students. "While all of the scientific evidence indicates that the risk of transmission is far lower outdoors than indoors, I want to remind you (and myself!) that we should stay at least six feet apart. I recognize that it's not easy, particularly when we are reuniting with such great friends. I am sorry for my poor example, and I am recommitting to do my best. I am confident you will too."
-- Scott Jaschik
Financial Aid Applications Lag for Low-Income Students

Aug. 10, 12:45 p.m. Applications for federal and state financial aid for college are a leading indicator of how many students will enroll in and complete a college degree. A University of Michigan study shows that those applications have not increased with the additional need created by the coronavirus pandemic

The study found no increases in Michigan in students filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and the Tuition Incentive Program, Michigan's largest state scholarship program for low-income students.

"It is worrying that we haven't seen any aid application expansion, and particularly that the gaps based on race or school income level have widened. FAFSA and TIP completion rates would need to be even higher than normal to keep up with the challenges created by the pandemic," said Kevin Stange, associate professor at the Ford School of Public Policy.
-- Scott Jaschik Report: Big Ten Votes to Cancel Football Season
Aug. 10, 12:06 p.m. University presidents in the Big Ten Conference, one of the NCAA Division I "Power Five" conferences, voted to cancel the 2020 football season, The Detroit Free Press reported. The conference had originally planned for conference-only competition, but has faced increased pressure over the last week from athletes organizing to improve health and safety measures for play amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Other Power Five conferences, which include the country's top college athletics programs, are expected to make announcements about the fall season early this week, ESPN reported. Division II and III leaders decided last week that they would cancel fall athletic championships, and the first conference in the Football Bowl Subdivision, the Mid-American Conference, postponed fall sports on Aug. 8.
-- Greta Anderson

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Live Updates: Latest News on Coronavirus and Higher Education

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Florida Pauses Football After 19 Players Detected With COVID-19 Oct. 14, 6:21 a.m. The University of Florida paused its football program due to 19 players having COVID-19, The Orlando Sentinel reported. Five players were detected Sunday and the remainder on Tuesday.

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REALM: How Our Library Decided How Long to Quarantine Items

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REALM: How Our Library Decided How Long to Quarantine Items

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I selected this site because it is the source our library used to determine how long we would hold items in quarantine and I found the information interesting! Personally, I am stressed out and not able to focus like I feel I usually am. Professionally, this is impacting my work but I feel that we are all in the same boat so most people are understanding and that is incredibly helpful! I find that I am speaking more with people from other library communities as we find ourselves online more frequently!

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Preparing for Reopened Libraries: Research on High-priority Materials and Workflows

May 2020 - August 2020

This phase will collect, curate, and disseminate information and recommended practices for handling physical collections and facilities in anticipation of a phased-in or full reopening of public library buildings and services starting as early as May 2020. This phase will produce an initial set of research findings and related resources.

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REALM project - REopening Archives, Libraries, and Museums | OCLC

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REopening Archives, Libraries, and Museums (REALM) is a research project conducted by OCLC, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and Battelle to produce science-based information about how materials can be handled to mitigate COVID-19 exposure to staff and visitors of archives, libraries, and museums.

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Responses  to virus from Hong Kong & Shanghai

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Responses  to virus from Hong Kong & Shanghai

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Find out how 2 Chinese universities responded to COVID. You'll see a totally different timeline from American universities' responses, but it looks like academic libraries in both countries faced similar challenges regarding access, sanitation, and reopening.

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The effects of COVID-19 on Libraries: changes to the library and looking ahead | 18th June 2020 | For Librarians | Springer Nature

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Worldwide, government authorities have implemented public safety measures to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus in their respective countries.

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COVID-19 Archives | American Libraries Magazine

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COVID-19 Archives | American Libraries Magazine

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This website shares articles on libraries and the pandemic. The articles cover updates on new findings and procedures as well as effective virtual services.

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COVID-19 Archives | American Libraries Magazine

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"I think people miss the environment of the polling place, and going to a drop box helps them re-create that," says Oregon Library Association Vice President Arlene Weible. Oregon has conducted all elections by mail since 2000, but Weible says libraries hosting ballot drop boxes is a common practice in the state.

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Advancing America's Libraries Podcast: Academic Libraries and COVID-19

The Ivy Group · Academic Libraries and COVID

College and university libraries are trying to figure out how they can re-open safely. In this episode of Advancing America's Libraries Podcast, VMDO's Jim Kovach and Julie Kane, Associate Professor and Head of Collection Services at Washington and Lee University, discuss how university libraries are preparing for fall re-entry.

Transcript

Pam: Colleges and universities are trying to figure out how they can open safely in the fall. At the epicenter of this discussion are those sites where students are known to come into close contact, e.g., dorms, gyms, bathrooms, dining halls, and, of course, libraries.

To discuss how one university library is managing this "new normal", we have Julie Kane, Associate Professor and head of Collection Services at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. Julie has held positions at Sweet Briar College, Stanford Law School, and Middlebury College. She is an active member of ALA. Her book reviews appear in Library Journal and she is a columnist with College and Undergraduate Libraries. Welcome, Julie!

Julie: Thanks so much. I'm excited to be here.

Pam: I'd also like to welcome back Jim Kovach, an architect at VMDO, a firm here in Charlottesville, Virginia. His work has included significant public and academic library projects, ALA presentations, and he has been a contributor to Library Journal. Jim co-founded the Charlottesville Community Design Center and has taught design studios at The University of Virginia, his alma mater. Welcome back, Jim!

Jim: So good to be back with you, Pam, and delighted to get to spend some time with my old friend, Julie Kane.

Pam: I understand you met at Sweet Briar College when VMDO was contracted to design an addition to the library there. Is that correct?

Jim: That's right. It was a great opportunity to work on a beautiful Ralph Adams Cram campus and their gorgeous library. I met some very talented librarians there.

Exterior view of library addition at Sweet Briar College's Cochran Library

Scrambling to adjust

Pam: I'm looking forward to a lively discussion today. Julie, you've been directly involved in the day-to-day operations since COVID-19 closed your library. I believe it was in March. Is that correct?

Julie: That is, yes.

Pam: I'm assuming you're in the center of discussions about re-opening in the fall. Can you talk about how closure unfolded and how you had to react at that time? And what kind of impacts we can expect to see in operations in the fall?

Julie: Sure! It's an interesting discussion, and it's kind of fun to talk about. When we're talking about re-opening, we're talking about re-opening the physical building, but, of course, we've been working nonstop since being sent home. We may be opening the physical building, but the services have been provided this entire time. But they just looked different.

When we went home, there was a scramble to figure out what we were doing and how we were going to provide services. Some people, of course, could not continue with their work as normal. There were a few staff members who were sent home and would not be continuing work because their work is rooted in the physical processing of materials. That is really hard to do and has been a difficult challenge for some who are used to coming into work every day and handling materials. To suddenly have no work at all to do is hard.

Pam: I'm assuming that processing materials at that point became impossible. Is that correct?

View of the new entry and Integrated Service Point at Sweet Briar College's Cochran Library

Steep learning curves behind and ahead

Julie: Absolutely! We immediately ceased touching anything. We immediately ceased ordering and handling print materials. We immediately ceased interlibrary loans across the state. For a library, that's tough! We switched immediately to all online operations. Of course, we have so many resources that are already online. A lot of our work was educating our faculty in what we have already in adapting their curriculum.

Our schedule is a little bit different than a lot of other universities and colleges in the area. We switched towards the end of our winter term, and then had another spring term to contend with, a four-week intensive term. We had a slight break in-between for professors to ramp up and redesign courses to be all online. But we had a sudden influx of requests for other online materials: a lot of streaming video content, a lot of eBooks. For example, as they were pivoting to redesign courses, could eBooks be substituted for print monographs? There were steep learning curves and a dramatic influx of requests for electronic materials.

At the same time, we have this crisis and budget crisis in tandem. We have one electronic resources librarian who is handling all of this. Bless her, she is working nonstop to handle these massive requests. There are many wonderful vendors who flooded the market with tons of free electronic resources either for a limited or extended period during the COVID-19 semester. Some are relevant or not, and some of them are free or not-so-free. We had to sift through all the offers.

Pam: Worth the price you were paying, right?

Julie: Exactly! Is this the hook to get us to pay once we're done? At the same time, we had to disseminate that information to our faculty. This was a challenge being handled on the fly, doing it with the budgetary crisis, and trying to cancel resources while we're buying resources. It was so much to handle at once.

I felt fortunate that we had a CFO who was on top of anticipating the cuts we would have to make almost immediately as they refunded room and board to students being sent home. "This is the hit we're going to take from those refunds. As long as students will be coming back in the fall, this is the cut your department will have to take." We could anticipate and make the cuts we needed to make to our collections. But we are anticipating a real increase in need for electronic resources to support the new reality.

It is a challenge to support electronic resources while we're cutting, while we're adding all at once, and while the frontline librarians are working just as hard switching to an online environment. They've instituted an online chat and reference service. Rather than showing up in courses and giving one-off instruction sessions, they are popping into courses online as well as Zoom sessions like this.

Pam: That's a big change. If there's an upside to all of this, there is increased use of electronic resources that historically have been totally unutilized.

Julie: I agree. Absolutely. It's a balancing act to find out which electronic resources we're using. We're making better use of our usage statistics and communicating more with our faculty. It's a learning experience all around to find out what we have and what we can let go.

It's a hard learning curve for the vendors as they would normally give us a lot of steep increases to our annual subscriptions.

New library lounge, with restored historic north façade at left at Sweet Briar College's Cochran Library

The space implications of reopening

Pam: All this transition to greater reliance on electronic resources and staff reshuffling that must occur because of the new functions demanded by the situation have space implications. I'd like to move to those design issues because I know that you and Jim have worked together in the past on library design projects, first at Sweet Briar and now at Washington and Lee. Given your experience with these two institutions, how do you foresee academic library services changing in the future? Then let's talk a little about the space implications.

Julie: Immediately the services have to change because, as we're walking through staffing and space implications in planning to come back to work, the space has to change immediately for social distancing reasons and for staff health and safety protection.

One thing that has been on my mind, and I'm sure on the minds of directors everywhere, is that this changes the character of the building. The character of the building is really delineated by floor and by how social those floors are. That is immediately lost. We cannot have group gatherings. We must keep people apart, and the implications are huge. The services immediately change, too: contactless check-out, barriers at access points, staggered staffing with a lot more staff being remote for who knows how long. This changes the dynamic of the whole building. I'd be happy to know what Jim has to say about this.

Pam: It's ironic because libraries, in this day and age, are supposed to be the communal gathering place. This is actually counter to what we've been transitioning toward.

Jim: I totally agree with Julie's assessment about the increased presence of technology and the media services she is discussing, but I might turn this back to you, Julie, after I've shared this observation.

As libraries rely more on bookable spaces such as small group study rooms where you are able to distribute users and track how the building is getting used, I wonder if you worry as there are more self-service activities that some of your populations might start slipping through the cracks? In some of the reading I have been doing, first-generation students are typically most pleased with library spaces, but may be least satisfied with the services that the library provides? And I think that indicates a bit of a disconnect between their expectations and what libraries can provide. Just wondering if you have thoughts about how the different populations at your university might be impacted differently?

Julie: I agree with you. I think the less we are there physically, the more we lose that connection and the opportunity to engage with those students and to find out where we're losing them. This hurts us a lot. This is a problem that we must find more creative ways to workaround. Getting through the initial emergency and being able to maintain our fundamental services is the first hurdle. Then we need to get to all the communities and to find more creative ways to solve our bigger problem.

Jim: I heard an interesting analogy that if the space within the library is the hardware of the library, then it is the social norms surrounding the use of the library that is the software. It seems to me that you must align the hardware and the software or the space with these new norms to succeed with any new service model. I'm curious. It appears none of us have good answers yet as to what the landscape of the library looks like in the fall. Some measure of the responsibility is really going to fall upon the shoulders of the students who use the library to observe the measures we've put in place. The service model is reliant so much both on the spaces and how you as a librarian manage them but also how responsible and aware the student body is of just how important it is to follow these new norms to make sure the place is as safe as it can be.

Lots of challenges going forward. I'm so interested to see what it looks like in the fall. I'm assuming that you guys have decided you will open in the fall and have a schedule somewhat in place, right?

Moving access beyond the physical space

Julie: The plan is to be on campus, and we have a phased approach for at least getting staffing in place to welcome students back. All that is with a caveat-anything could change at any moment. Right now, we're working through Phase 1 of our staff returning to campus. We currently have a few staff members in the library. We're moving very gingerly and very slowly in reopening the physical building and even by the time we get to perhaps August 11th, which is the end of Phase 3, we will only be open to faculty by appointment. Then by the time the Law School opens which is before the undergraduates return, we will be open by swipe card access only. We're not planning to open the library to the broader community which we normally would be. We're playing it conservative and safe. Masks will be required in the building and keeping 6-feet distance among everyone.

There's so much planning going into keeping everyone as safe as possible. Not everything is fully set yet but we're doing the best we can and going as slowly as we can.

Pam: I think it was Rahm Emanuel who said, "You never want a serious crisis to go to waste." I'm wondering, to Jim's question, what are the longer-term implications for your space and your services?

Julie: That's a good question. I would be more worried if this only impacted libraries because, as you know, any time space goes unused on a campus, it's taken over. It's a land grab. But since this has shut down all spaces on campus, I don't worry about that as much. I do worry more about the flavor and character of it. If it's not going to be a hub on campus anymore or for an extended period of time, what does it become?

Jim: It seems to me that a big concern obviously is maintaining equity in access to the library and its services. Since so many students will be vying for fewer seats, I wonder if you feel the library will have to become a bigger partner across the university so that you're working with other programs to ensure that the whole community of learners can be accommodated? Essentially if you take the density of the library as it had been and you still have the same demand for the space, do you foresee a time at W&L where you're actually expanding the perimeter of the library beyond its walls so you're capitalizing on under-used academic space somewhere else or lounge space in student housing? It seems as if there is an opportunity to fragment that user space and allow it to move beyond the perimeter of the library. You could partner with other departments to manage space more holistically.

Julie: That's interesting. I've never heard anyone put it that way because the library is usually on the defensive about space. Libraries, in general, have never had that mindset of expanding beyond their own boundaries. That's super interesting and is hurting my brain as a concept. *laughter* We don't do that! I need to sleep on that and try to envision how that would work.

There are a lot of places on campus where students have "hidey holes" where they can study. I don't know that they have as many places where they are used to studying together as they have in the library. I think finding those group spaces would be harder but also not applicable perhaps in this environment. So, I'm not sure what we would be looking for.

The implications for collection size

Jim: There's another aspect to it. Pam, you and I discussed a couple of weeks ago the idea that in public libraries there is some discussion about attempts to densify the collection or reduce the footprint of the collection in the building so there is additional space for users. I want to ask Julie if she felt that likelihood was equally strong in academic libraries whether that means additional compact storage or offsite storage to free up square footage within the library for more seats at a greater distance from one another.

Julie: I think if academic libraries have not already done so it is a good idea to think about. The problem is going to be the budget. Schools won't be looking for places to spend money. I'm relieved that we did just put in compact shelving so we are freeing up some space, but I'm not sure they will look to see that student space in libraries is that high of a priority.

Pam: You talked a lot about technology changing the way people more and more access information. Think about Zoom conferencing or some of the online distance learning technologies that are available. Can the academic library perhaps take its lead from public libraries that are looking toward remote locations or remote services? You become less the source of the information and more of the facilitator for information sharing. Is that something you see in your future? It doesn't seem to me that it would cost a lot more-just a reallocation of resources. For example, to access resources such as the ILS students can go online. Often, they are on mobile devices which are not easy ways of communicating with people on Zoom, for example. Is it possible that the library could move some its terminals elsewhere on campus and provide the same level of service that it does in the library? But in a way that enables group meetings, for example? People don't have to be in the same space, but they have the technology available to them to share as they did in the past.

Julie: Any of the electronic resources we provide are available to students and faculty regardless of device. They don't need to be tied to a machine in the library to use them. That's why teaching remotely and learning remotely has been fine. They can just log in to their W&L account and access anything so that's not been a problem. That's more of an issue for community users who cannot access our resources unless they are in the building.

Remote room booking

Jim: Regarding technology in academic libraries, I want to hear both of your thoughts about something I have been hearing a lot more about. That is the ability to provide bookable spaces for students as they begin to return. Julie, I've seen the great group study spaces that you have. A lot of universities are beginning to turn toward digital room signage panels that allow people to reserve spaces either in person in the library or remotely on your device. I also wonder if more universities will begin to turn toward this technology to track students. Do those devices enhance our ability to understand who's in what space and with whom? If there is a minor outbreak on campus, there is a tool available to get a better understanding of who might be exposed to a carrier.

Julie: That's interesting. I haven't been part of any discussion about the room booking system. We do have them in place, but I haven't heard about it for contact tracing as such. I know that part of our back-to-work process involves logging all our contacts every day. That is part of a requirement for all staff heading back to work. There are not many details yet on what the structure is. I don't know if there are similar requirements for the students. Since the room booking system is in place, I can see how it could be tapped to use for contact tracking.

Pam: Listening to all of this, Jim, how is this going to change what you do?

Jim: That is such a good question, Pam. If you could point me in the direction of a new client, I'd gladly answer that question alongside them. *laughter*

I think it will be challenging to understand what we all mean by distancing and the guidelines going forward. There are so many different takes on it. Unfortunately, it's a little bit squishy.

Are we talking about a 6-foot diameter safe zone? Are we 6 feet apart? FEMA has outlined that 113 sq. ft. per seat is the ideal allotment for each user which is a little bit more than a 10 ft X 10 ft box. The understanding of that type of data is going to be so important to how space is laid out and how building programs get established. I think we need more clarity. Encourage your listeners to find the AIA's Reoccupancy Assessment Tool online. There are some good hints in there for smart ways to move forward regarding libraries and any academic space. VMDO is going to be working closely with the AIA to ratify smarter ways forward regarding space planning.

You and I talked about some short-term spatial adjustments that will need to occur. Those may be last week's news, but they are some basic things to add to the discussion such as sneeze guards, motion sensors in restrooms, hands-free water fountains. I honestly think a movement we will see is away from large group spaces such as auditoria, theaters, large lecture rooms towards re-capitalizing those spaces as clusters of smaller spaces that would accommodate 2-5 people as opposed to 30. The dynamic will shift from large gatherings to more intimate settings.

To Julie's earlier concerns, I, too, am concerned about what the library will look like in 5 years, but I also think this is a good opportunity to study how to make it the most welcoming building on campus-whether that is design details and furniture or the relationship of spaces and connection to campus. I'm excited to work with Julie and others to envision what it will all look like.

Pam: Thank you, Jim and Julie! This has been very interesting. Obviously, there are more questions than there are answers. That's because the times are changing quickly. There are so many budgetary implications as you mentioned, Julie. The human dimension of this is significant. The fact is we are social creatures, and learning is not an isolated experience. It is interactive and more productive when it is. In the short term, you're prepared!

Thank you for joining me today! Let's continue these conversations.

Author

The Ivy Group · Academic Libraries and COVID

College and university libraries are trying to figure out how they can re-open safely. In this episode of Advancing America's Libraries Podcast, VMDO's Jim Kovach and Julie Kane, Associate Professor and Head of Collection Services at Washington and Lee University, discuss how university libraries are preparing for fall re-entry.

Transcript

Pam: Colleges and universities are trying to figure out how they can open safely in the fall. At the epicenter of this discussion are those sites where students are known to come into close contact, e.g., dorms, gyms, bathrooms, dining halls, and, of course, libraries.

To discuss how one university library is managing this "new normal", we have Julie Kane, Associate Professor and head of Collection Services at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. Julie has held positions at Sweet Briar College, Stanford Law School, and Middlebury College. She is an active member of ALA. Her book reviews appear in Library Journal and she is a columnist with College and Undergraduate Libraries. Welcome, Julie!

Julie: Thanks so much. I'm excited to be here.

Pam: I'd also like to welcome back Jim Kovach, an architect at VMDO, a firm here in Charlottesville, Virginia. His work has included significant public and academic library projects, ALA presentations, and he has been a contributor to Library Journal. Jim co-founded the Charlottesville Community Design Center and has taught design studios at The University of Virginia, his alma mater. Welcome back, Jim!

Jim: So good to be back with you, Pam, and delighted to get to spend some time with my old friend, Julie Kane.

Pam: I understand you met at Sweet Briar College when VMDO was contracted to design an addition to the library there. Is that correct?

Jim: That's right. It was a great opportunity to work on a beautiful Ralph Adams Cram campus and their gorgeous library. I met some very talented librarians there.

Exterior view of library addition at Sweet Briar College's Cochran Library

Scrambling to adjust

Pam: I'm looking forward to a lively discussion today. Julie, you've been directly involved in the day-to-day operations since COVID-19 closed your library. I believe it was in March. Is that correct?

Julie: That is, yes.

Pam: I'm assuming you're in the center of discussions about re-opening in the fall. Can you talk about how closure unfolded and how you had to react at that time? And what kind of impacts we can expect to see in operations in the fall?

Julie: Sure! It's an interesting discussion, and it's kind of fun to talk about. When we're talking about re-opening, we're talking about re-opening the physical building, but, of course, we've been working nonstop since being sent home. We may be opening the physical building, but the services have been provided this entire time. But they just looked different.

When we went home, there was a scramble to figure out what we were doing and how we were going to provide services. Some people, of course, could not continue with their work as normal. There were a few staff members who were sent home and would not be continuing work because their work is rooted in the physical processing of materials. That is really hard to do and has been a difficult challenge for some who are used to coming into work every day and handling materials. To suddenly have no work at all to do is hard.

Pam: I'm assuming that processing materials at that point became impossible. Is that correct?

View of the new entry and Integrated Service Point at Sweet Briar College's Cochran Library

Steep learning curves behind and ahead

Julie: Absolutely! We immediately ceased touching anything. We immediately ceased ordering and handling print materials. We immediately ceased interlibrary loans across the state. For a library, that's tough! We switched immediately to all online operations. Of course, we have so many resources that are already online. A lot of our work was educating our faculty in what we have already in adapting their curriculum.

Our schedule is a little bit different than a lot of other universities and colleges in the area. We switched towards the end of our winter term, and then had another spring term to contend with, a four-week intensive term. We had a slight break in-between for professors to ramp up and redesign courses to be all online. But we had a sudden influx of requests for other online materials: a lot of streaming video content, a lot of eBooks. For example, as they were pivoting to redesign courses, could eBooks be substituted for print monographs? There were steep learning curves and a dramatic influx of requests for electronic materials.

At the same time, we have this crisis and budget crisis in tandem. We have one electronic resources librarian who is handling all of this. Bless her, she is working nonstop to handle these massive requests. There are many wonderful vendors who flooded the market with tons of free electronic resources either for a limited or extended period during the COVID-19 semester. Some are relevant or not, and some of them are free or not-so-free. We had to sift through all the offers.

Pam: Worth the price you were paying, right?

Julie: Exactly! Is this the hook to get us to pay once we're done? At the same time, we had to disseminate that information to our faculty. This was a challenge being handled on the fly, doing it with the budgetary crisis, and trying to cancel resources while we're buying resources. It was so much to handle at once.

I felt fortunate that we had a CFO who was on top of anticipating the cuts we would have to make almost immediately as they refunded room and board to students being sent home. "This is the hit we're going to take from those refunds. As long as students will be coming back in the fall, this is the cut your department will have to take." We could anticipate and make the cuts we needed to make to our collections. But we are anticipating a real increase in need for electronic resources to support the new reality.

It is a challenge to support electronic resources while we're cutting, while we're adding all at once, and while the frontline librarians are working just as hard switching to an online environment. They've instituted an online chat and reference service. Rather than showing up in courses and giving one-off instruction sessions, they are popping into courses online as well as Zoom sessions like this.

Pam: That's a big change. If there's an upside to all of this, there is increased use of electronic resources that historically have been totally unutilized.

Julie: I agree. Absolutely. It's a balancing act to find out which electronic resources we're using. We're making better use of our usage statistics and communicating more with our faculty. It's a learning experience all around to find out what we have and what we can let go.

It's a hard learning curve for the vendors as they would normally give us a lot of steep increases to our annual subscriptions.

New library lounge, with restored historic north façade at left at Sweet Briar College's Cochran Library

The space implications of reopening

Pam: All this transition to greater reliance on electronic resources and staff reshuffling that must occur because of the new functions demanded by the situation have space implications. I'd like to move to those design issues because I know that you and Jim have worked together in the past on library design projects, first at Sweet Briar and now at Washington and Lee. Given your experience with these two institutions, how do you foresee academic library services changing in the future? Then let's talk a little about the space implications.

Julie: Immediately the services have to change because, as we're walking through staffing and space implications in planning to come back to work, the space has to change immediately for social distancing reasons and for staff health and safety protection.

One thing that has been on my mind, and I'm sure on the minds of directors everywhere, is that this changes the character of the building. The character of the building is really delineated by floor and by how social those floors are. That is immediately lost. We cannot have group gatherings. We must keep people apart, and the implications are huge. The services immediately change, too: contactless check-out, barriers at access points, staggered staffing with a lot more staff being remote for who knows how long. This changes the dynamic of the whole building. I'd be happy to know what Jim has to say about this.

Pam: It's ironic because libraries, in this day and age, are supposed to be the communal gathering place. This is actually counter to what we've been transitioning toward.

Jim: I totally agree with Julie's assessment about the increased presence of technology and the media services she is discussing, but I might turn this back to you, Julie, after I've shared this observation.

As libraries rely more on bookable spaces such as small group study rooms where you are able to distribute users and track how the building is getting used, I wonder if you worry as there are more self-service activities that some of your populations might start slipping through the cracks? In some of the reading I have been doing, first-generation students are typically most pleased with library spaces, but may be least satisfied with the services that the library provides? And I think that indicates a bit of a disconnect between their expectations and what libraries can provide. Just wondering if you have thoughts about how the different populations at your university might be impacted differently?

Julie: I agree with you. I think the less we are there physically, the more we lose that connection and the opportunity to engage with those students and to find out where we're losing them. This hurts us a lot. This is a problem that we must find more creative ways to workaround. Getting through the initial emergency and being able to maintain our fundamental services is the first hurdle. Then we need to get to all the communities and to find more creative ways to solve our bigger problem.

Jim: I heard an interesting analogy that if the space within the library is the hardware of the library, then it is the social norms surrounding the use of the library that is the software. It seems to me that you must align the hardware and the software or the space with these new norms to succeed with any new service model. I'm curious. It appears none of us have good answers yet as to what the landscape of the library looks like in the fall. Some measure of the responsibility is really going to fall upon the shoulders of the students who use the library to observe the measures we've put in place. The service model is reliant so much both on the spaces and how you as a librarian manage them but also how responsible and aware the student body is of just how important it is to follow these new norms to make sure the place is as safe as it can be.

Lots of challenges going forward. I'm so interested to see what it looks like in the fall. I'm assuming that you guys have decided you will open in the fall and have a schedule somewhat in place, right?

Moving access beyond the physical space

Julie: The plan is to be on campus, and we have a phased approach for at least getting staffing in place to welcome students back. All that is with a caveat-anything could change at any moment. Right now, we're working through Phase 1 of our staff returning to campus. We currently have a few staff members in the library. We're moving very gingerly and very slowly in reopening the physical building and even by the time we get to perhaps August 11th, which is the end of Phase 3, we will only be open to faculty by appointment. Then by the time the Law School opens which is before the undergraduates return, we will be open by swipe card access only. We're not planning to open the library to the broader community which we normally would be. We're playing it conservative and safe. Masks will be required in the building and keeping 6-feet distance among everyone.

There's so much planning going into keeping everyone as safe as possible. Not everything is fully set yet but we're doing the best we can and going as slowly as we can.

Pam: I think it was Rahm Emanuel who said, "You never want a serious crisis to go to waste." I'm wondering, to Jim's question, what are the longer-term implications for your space and your services?

Julie: That's a good question. I would be more worried if this only impacted libraries because, as you know, any time space goes unused on a campus, it's taken over. It's a land grab. But since this has shut down all spaces on campus, I don't worry about that as much. I do worry more about the flavor and character of it. If it's not going to be a hub on campus anymore or for an extended period of time, what does it become?

Jim: It seems to me that a big concern obviously is maintaining equity in access to the library and its services. Since so many students will be vying for fewer seats, I wonder if you feel the library will have to become a bigger partner across the university so that you're working with other programs to ensure that the whole community of learners can be accommodated? Essentially if you take the density of the library as it had been and you still have the same demand for the space, do you foresee a time at W&L where you're actually expanding the perimeter of the library beyond its walls so you're capitalizing on under-used academic space somewhere else or lounge space in student housing? It seems as if there is an opportunity to fragment that user space and allow it to move beyond the perimeter of the library. You could partner with other departments to manage space more holistically.

Julie: That's interesting. I've never heard anyone put it that way because the library is usually on the defensive about space. Libraries, in general, have never had that mindset of expanding beyond their own boundaries. That's super interesting and is hurting my brain as a concept. *laughter* We don't do that! I need to sleep on that and try to envision how that would work.

There are a lot of places on campus where students have "hidey holes" where they can study. I don't know that they have as many places where they are used to studying together as they have in the library. I think finding those group spaces would be harder but also not applicable perhaps in this environment. So, I'm not sure what we would be looking for.

The implications for collection size

Jim: There's another aspect to it. Pam, you and I discussed a couple of weeks ago the idea that in public libraries there is some discussion about attempts to densify the collection or reduce the footprint of the collection in the building so there is additional space for users. I want to ask Julie if she felt that likelihood was equally strong in academic libraries whether that means additional compact storage or offsite storage to free up square footage within the library for more seats at a greater distance from one another.

Julie: I think if academic libraries have not already done so it is a good idea to think about. The problem is going to be the budget. Schools won't be looking for places to spend money. I'm relieved that we did just put in compact shelving so we are freeing up some space, but I'm not sure they will look to see that student space in libraries is that high of a priority.

Pam: You talked a lot about technology changing the way people more and more access information. Think about Zoom conferencing or some of the online distance learning technologies that are available. Can the academic library perhaps take its lead from public libraries that are looking toward remote locations or remote services? You become less the source of the information and more of the facilitator for information sharing. Is that something you see in your future? It doesn't seem to me that it would cost a lot more-just a reallocation of resources. For example, to access resources such as the ILS students can go online. Often, they are on mobile devices which are not easy ways of communicating with people on Zoom, for example. Is it possible that the library could move some its terminals elsewhere on campus and provide the same level of service that it does in the library? But in a way that enables group meetings, for example? People don't have to be in the same space, but they have the technology available to them to share as they did in the past.

Julie: Any of the electronic resources we provide are available to students and faculty regardless of device. They don't need to be tied to a machine in the library to use them. That's why teaching remotely and learning remotely has been fine. They can just log in to their W&L account and access anything so that's not been a problem. That's more of an issue for community users who cannot access our resources unless they are in the building.

Remote room booking

Jim: Regarding technology in academic libraries, I want to hear both of your thoughts about something I have been hearing a lot more about. That is the ability to provide bookable spaces for students as they begin to return. Julie, I've seen the great group study spaces that you have. A lot of universities are beginning to turn toward digital room signage panels that allow people to reserve spaces either in person in the library or remotely on your device. I also wonder if more universities will begin to turn toward this technology to track students. Do those devices enhance our ability to understand who's in what space and with whom? If there is a minor outbreak on campus, there is a tool available to get a better understanding of who might be exposed to a carrier.

Julie: That's interesting. I haven't been part of any discussion about the room booking system. We do have them in place, but I haven't heard about it for contact tracing as such. I know that part of our back-to-work process involves logging all our contacts every day. That is part of a requirement for all staff heading back to work. There are not many details yet on what the structure is. I don't know if there are similar requirements for the students. Since the room booking system is in place, I can see how it could be tapped to use for contact tracking.

Pam: Listening to all of this, Jim, how is this going to change what you do?

Jim: That is such a good question, Pam. If you could point me in the direction of a new client, I'd gladly answer that question alongside them. *laughter*

I think it will be challenging to understand what we all mean by distancing and the guidelines going forward. There are so many different takes on it. Unfortunately, it's a little bit squishy.

Are we talking about a 6-foot diameter safe zone? Are we 6 feet apart? FEMA has outlined that 113 sq. ft. per seat is the ideal allotment for each user which is a little bit more than a 10 ft X 10 ft box. The understanding of that type of data is going to be so important to how space is laid out and how building programs get established. I think we need more clarity. Encourage your listeners to find the AIA's Reoccupancy Assessment Tool online. There are some good hints in there for smart ways to move forward regarding libraries and any academic space. VMDO is going to be working closely with the AIA to ratify smarter ways forward regarding space planning.

You and I talked about some short-term spatial adjustments that will need to occur. Those may be last week's news, but they are some basic things to add to the discussion such as sneeze guards, motion sensors in restrooms, hands-free water fountains. I honestly think a movement we will see is away from large group spaces such as auditoria, theaters, large lecture rooms towards re-capitalizing those spaces as clusters of smaller spaces that would accommodate 2-5 people as opposed to 30. The dynamic will shift from large gatherings to more intimate settings.

To Julie's earlier concerns, I, too, am concerned about what the library will look like in 5 years, but I also think this is a good opportunity to study how to make it the most welcoming building on campus-whether that is design details and furniture or the relationship of spaces and connection to campus. I'm excited to work with Julie and others to envision what it will all look like.

Pam: Thank you, Jim and Julie! This has been very interesting. Obviously, there are more questions than there are answers. That's because the times are changing quickly. There are so many budgetary implications as you mentioned, Julie. The human dimension of this is significant. The fact is we are social creatures, and learning is not an isolated experience. It is interactive and more productive when it is. In the short term, you're prepared!

Thank you for joining me today! Let's continue these conversations.

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Podcast: Academic Libraries and COVID-19 - VMDO Architects

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College and university libraries are devising strategies to re-open this fall. In this episode of Advancing America's Libraries Podcast, VMDO's Jim Kovach and Julie Kane, Associate Professor & Head of Collection Services at Washington & Lee University, discuss how university libraries are preparing for fall re-entry.

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EBSCO Information Services, Inc. | www.ebsco.com

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Information and Resources to Help During the COVID-19 Pandemic | EBSCO

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EBSCO and our partners are providing free resources and expanded access to content to help you support your institutions

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Libraries and museums Covid-19 resources

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Libraries and museums Covid-19 resources

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This is a great list of resources for museums and libraries during the shutdown. I found the one about serving patrons experiencing homelessness during the shutdown especially interesting as well as some of the studies about disinfecting materials and the impact of hand sanitizer on materials.

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Institute of Museum and Library Services

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COVID-19 Resources for Libraries and Museums

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Resources for libraries, museums, staff, and their communities impacted by coronavirus.

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https://en.unesco.org/news/digital-libraries-can-ensure-continuity-covid-19-puts-brake-academic-activity

The World Digital Library developed by the Library of Congress and UNESCO connects 200 countries and their information during COVID.

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This includes information about expanded free access and also resources and tools for online learning.

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JSTOR and participating publishers are making an expanded set of content freely available to help during the ongoing crisis.

Support for participating institutions

Access to unlicensed collections for participating academic institutions that currently license some, but not all, JSTOR Archive and Primary Source collections through June 30, 2022.

Access for everyone

Remote access support

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JSTOR resources during COVID-19 - About JSTOR

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JSTOR and participating publishers are making an expanded set of content freely available to help during the ongoing crisis. Access to unlicensed collections for participating academic institutions that currently license some, but not all, JSTOR Archive and Primary Source collections through June 30, 2022.

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"USC Libraries’ Special Collections and University Archives invite you to create and share records of your experiences."

I chose this because, in the midst of a pandemic, it's easy to lose a sense of your community, your power, and your purpose. This project - to collect stories from the USC community and the greater SoCal area - keeps the library centered in the community. It continues to act as both a social space and repository, even when everyone is at home.

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Suggested Prompts

You may choose to document your experience in one day, maintain a diary for several weeks, create reflections once a week-this is up to your own direction. We want to get a sense of how the USC community is carrying on with studies, research, work, and life, as well as how you're feeling throughout this period. We are also interested in stories conveying how life in greater Los Angeles has changed because of the pandemic; the ways, for instance, that you, your family, friends, and communities are now experiencing everyday life, communicating, working, and managing challenges. We are interested in your stories, experiences, and observations - in short, it can be anything that you feel comfortable sharing with us. Some ideas include:

USC students/faculty/staff:

How has your campus involvement changed?

​What did you do over Spring Break? Did you have to change plans in any way?

How did you hear that you were being encouraged not to return to campus? What was your immediate reaction?

Share your experience/s with online learning. Has it been a challenge for anyone?

Are you able to work from home? How has the transition affected you and your family?

Where are you physically located now? If on campus, what is it like being here at this time?

How has your routine changed?

Daily check-in with feelings, thoughts, activities.

How have you discussed these events with your family, friends, professors?

How do you keep in touch with friends? Has anything changed?

What are your news sources? How do you find out about what's happening at USC?

Challenges of international students or those with families abroad.

​Disconnection from campus life, and so on.

LA and SoCal community:

How do you keep in touch with friends and family? Has anything changed?

What are your news sources? How do you find out about what's happening in Los Angeles, Southern California, and beyond?

The ways you and your friends and family are staying in touch during this period of social distancing and self-quarantine.

How has your routine changed?

Daily check-in with feelings, thoughts, activities.

​Are you able to work from home? How has the transition affected you and your family?

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Suggested Prompts You may choose to document your experience in one day, maintain a diary for several weeks, create reflections once a week-this is up to your own direction. We want to get a sense of how the USC community is carrying on with studies, research, work, and life, as well as how you're feeling throughout this period.

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This is what the Southern Oregon University library is doing in response to COVID.

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Library Research

Access to Library Resources

Many of our resources are already available online! Please explore our homepage or consult our Guide to Remote and Distance Learning guide for more information. Some new resources will be available online that weren't in the past. If you are having trouble finding what you need, contact the librarian most closely associated with your topic area. Good news! Summit borrowing is available again!

Research Questions

During chat research hours, our chat service will continue to be available. Please feel free to use our Ask a Librarian service at other times. If you have a specific research question, try looking for the Research Guide most appropriate to your topic and contact that librarian.

Library Spaces

Please see our library hours page to see the most recent changes in hours for the library building. The library is currently restricted to SOU students, faculty, and staff.

On the first floor, there are 27 computers (PC and Mac) and one study area. On the second floor there are two study areas available. On the third floor, there are two more study areas.

Safety Measures

Masks

Face coverings are required inside the library. Masks are available at the front desk if needed.

Social Distancing

Seating has been arranged to encourage distancing and maintain a safe space. Please stay six feet from others, including both students and staff. Thank you for your cooperation.

Cleaning

Computer and study areas are monitored hourly and wiped down at least twice a day for your safety. Hand sanitizer and wipes are available.

Faculty

We have a number of resources that can support online research, including some new resources that are temporarily available for this period. To learn more, see our Faculty Services: Support for Online Learning guide. Also, feel free to contact your liaison librarian for more information or to learn about discipline-specific resources. Librarians are also happy to set up Zoom research classes for your students.

More Information

SOU has more information on the Updates on COVID-19 (coronavirus) page. For more general information resources, please check out our FAQ.

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COVID-19 | Hannon Library at Southern Oregon University

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Many of our resources are already available online! Please explore our homepage or consult our Guide to Remote and Distance Learning guide for more information. Some new resources will be available online that weren't in the past. If you are having trouble finding what you need, contact the librarian most closely associated with your topic area.

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This is the dashboard that lets you see how many people are on each floor of the OU library. I think this is really helpful in for students planning their study time/research.

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CDC Library's COVID-19 Research Article Database

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CDC Library's COVID-19 Research Article Database

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The CDC Library compiles the latest research articles and makes them available here--easy access and download. Great resource to give your students and faculty researchers as well as for use conducting your own research.

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Academic Libraries are responding creatively to the Covid-19 Pandemic. 

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Academic Libraries are responding creatively to the Covid-19 Pandemic. 

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I chose this website from Lexis Nexis because it describes a few of the creative ways that academic libraries are responding and assisting those on the frontlines during the pandemic.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has closed many college and university libraries around the world, but this doesn't mean that librarians and information specialists haven't been busy, nor helpful. If anything, the pandemic has placed them in even greater demand as they contribute in ways both expected and perhaps not-so-much.

We salute all the librarians at institutions of higher learning who are stepping up to the challenges of these unusual times. Here's just a tiny sampling of what some of these academic heroes are doing. In future posts, we'll share how other services and departments on campuses around the globe are creatively responding to the pandemic.

Making the Most of Maker Spaces

Academic libraries around the globe are using the 3D printers in their maker spaces to produce personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare heroes on the frontlines of the COVID-19 battle. Among the libraries doing this are the National Library and the School of Robotics in Klaipedia, Lithuania as well as the ones at the University of Montevallo and Troy University in Alabama. Also in the U.S., Columbia University is sharing designs so any library or home-based hobbyist with a 3D printer can help produce much-needed PPE.

Libraries Helping Libraries

Is there anyone better than the librarians themselves to collect data about how academic libraries are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic? Of course not. This is exactly what the librarians at the University of Illinois System Urbana-Champaign have been up to.

As Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe, the system's coordinator for information literacy services and instruction, said in their news release, "People are looking to best practices in the field, but also to what actions their colleagues and peers are taking and how they are thinking about this." So they have been collecting and updating data about COVID-19 and academic libraries and posting it online here. Similar programs are underway in other countries, including France through the auspices of the French University Librarians' Association.

Capturing the Moment for History's Sake

Some academic universities are ensuring that this unique moment in history is captured for future generations to study-and perhaps to pick up some tips on how to survive months of social distancing. For instance, the University of Iowa is curating a collection of stories that provide glimpses into life during the COVID-19 pandemic. At Cal State San Marcos, a similar project is called, "Together/Apart: The COVID-19 Community Memory Archive." These experiences aren't just being captured via written stories but also by videos, voice recordings, photos and more.

A University Library Helping High Schoolers

With so many students of all ages forced to attend classes virtually, there are likely more people than usual who could use some help with research, writing papers and the like. The University of Minnesota's library runs a Peer Research Consultants (PRC) program in which students who excel at research, writing and the like are available to help those who need assistance. Due to the pandemic, the library has extended this offer to high school students in its state. The library reports that their PRCs are three times busier than during this same period in 2019. Yet another occasion of libraries to the rescue!

For more pandemic news and data, be sure to check out the COVID-19 Quick Searches Nexis® has prepared, which you'll find on your Lexis Advance® home page. Simple click to run and identify meaningful insights surrounding COVID-19.

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Academic Libraries are Responding Creatively to the COVID-19 Pandemic

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The COVID-19 pandemic has closed many college and university libraries around the world, but this doesn't mean that librarians and information specialists haven't been busy, nor helpful. If anything, the pandemic has placed them in even greater demand as they contribute in ways both expected and perhaps not-so-much.

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Duke University's instructional video--created to explain their current services and protocols under COVID-19--has been gaining attention over the last few weeks.

While most people are grabbed by the infectiously catchy song, I also find this video emblematic of much of what we're seeing in academic libraries during this time: a dedication to providing services, and creativity in planning, adapting, and marketing these services.

While this has been a deeply unsettling time for all of us, there have also been so many instances of positivity, reinvention, levity, and community--this video (and the people and library behind it) are a part of that.

For extra interest, here are some articles about the viral library video:

The story behind 'Library Takeout,' a Duke librarian’s international hit:

https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2020/10/duke-university-library-takeout-international-hit-viral-video-song

Goodbye Song of the Summer, Hello Duke Library Banger of the Fall:

https://indyweek.com/music/news/duke-library-takeout-song-goes-viral/

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Duke University's Guide to Returning to the Workplace

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Duke University's Guide to Returning to the Workplace

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Duke University has published a guide on returning to the workplace during the Covid-19 pandemic. While the guide does not focus entirely on academic libraries - rather, the university as a whole - I thought it was very interesting to hear the wide range of topics, policies and protocols. This guide focuses mostly on worker safety, both physically and mentally and really underlines how much things has changed, in both large and small ways that do not always appear obvious at first glance.

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This website includes all of the services Sonoma State is providing their students and faculty during the pandemic.

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University Library at Sonoma State University

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This page contains all relevant information related to the University Library's current operations and responses to the COVID-19 outbreak, including updates to operations, access to physical collections, access to remote services, information about laptops available for checkout, extended loan periods, and other helpful information.

In accordance with state-wide and local responses to COVID-19, the Library will remain closed to the public until further notice.

Future changes to operations will be announced on the Library's homepage and on the Library Hours page and communicated out through campus channels.

Updated as of September 9, 2020.

For the latest campus-wide information and announcements, visit the university Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information and Updates.

For additional student and faculty resources, visit the Academic Affairs Covid-19 Info Hub.

Online Research Help

There are many ways to conduct research and receive assistance online. While no in-person research appointments are available at this time, support by email, chat, and Zoom are currently available to students and faculty. Virtual research services include:

Access to Physical Collections

Contactless Pickup & Delivery
In an effort to provide access to physical books and other materials while the Library remains closed, we will offer contactless book pickup and delivery.

All CSU-affiliated students, faculty, and staff can request items via OneSearch. Library staff will pull and checkout items on your behalf. For contactless pickup, you may then pick up requested materials at the clocktower entrance on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00am - 3:00pm. For personal delivery, expect to receive your library materials at your home address within the next two weeks.

For detailed instructions on requesting and retrieving library materials, please visit our Contactless Pickup & Delivery page.

We also encourage researchers to browse digitized, special materials by exploring our North Bay Digital Collections.

Student Technology & Equipment

We are currently only accepting requests for Fall 2020 loans. For more information about laptop loans, please refer to the Library Laptop Delivery Program FAQ.

Borrow a Wifi Hotspot
Need more reliable internet service? IT has a limited number of Verizon Hotspots available for a semester loan, on a first-come, first served basis. Wifi hotspots are provided and maintained by the Information Technology Department (IT). Hotspots will be mailed directly to you. Fill out the Wifi Hotspot Request form, and be sure to check the coverage map to confirm that service is available in your area. For more information and instructions on using hotspots, visit Campus IT's Wi-Fi Hotspots information page

Device Support
Experiencing issues with your device? For library laptops and noise-cancelling headsets, please contact the University Library. For support with your Verizon hotspot, please contact campus IT at helpdesk@sonoma.edu or (707) 664-HELP.

Renewing & Returning Materials

Renewing Materials
You can renew materials online up to two times after initial check-out in your library account in OneSearch. Please do not visit the Library to renew materials in person.

Returning Materials
Bookdrops are open for you to return borrowed materials. Book drops can be found directly outside the 1 st and 2 nd floor entrances. Do not return laptops in the book drop.

If you cannot visit campus but need to return items, you may mail your items to the University Library, at your own expense. Please address your mailed materials to:

University Library
1801 E Cotati Ave,
Rohnert Park, CA 94928

Library books may also be returned to the nearest CSU library. Please contact your nearest CSU library to ensure they are accepting returns before returning your items there. If you return a book by mail or at another CSU library, be aware that it will not be checked in until it arrives at SSU.

Returning Laptops
The SSU Library will accept in-person returns for laptops anytime Tuesday or Thursday, 10:00 - 3:00pm until December 14, 2020. For in-person returns, bring your laptop to the clocktower ramp where a drop-off station will be located outside the 2nd floor entrance. To avoid damage fees, please do not return your library laptop via the book drop bins.

If you are unable to visit campus, the library will provide you with prepaid postage and packing materials to safely return your library-issued laptop by mail. At the beginning of December, we will contact you with specific instructions on returning laptops and a prepaid postage label. Please keep any original delivery packaging for these returns.

Borrowing from Other Libraries

Interlibrary Loan & CSU+
Interlibrary and CSU+ loan services for physical materials have resumed. Out of an abundance of caution, staff will quarantine any materials received from other libraries. Due to these precautionary measures, there may be a delay in fulfilling Interlibrary Loan or CSU+ requests. Patrons can pick up materials requested from other libraries using the same procedure outlined in Contactless Pickup.

Due to closures of our partner libraries, some interlibrary loan requests may not be filled at this time.

Book Chapters & Articles
Whether you are on or off campus, you may request articles and book chapters not available through SSU Library's collection. These requests will be delivered within a few days, electronically and you will receive an email with a download link.

Reciprocal Borrowing Privileges at CSU Libraries
SSU students, staff, and faculty are eligible for library privileges at all other CSU libraries upon presentation of a current campus ID card. Please note, other libraries in the CSU system have differing reopening plans during the COVID-19 crisis. Please contact your nearest CSU library to ensure they are open and lending materials at this time, before visiting their facilities. Reciprocal borrowers must check out books according to the rules and loan periods established by the individual campus library.

Access to Online Collections

The University Library provides access to digital materials available to you on and off campus.

Library Databases
Library databases offer access to full-text articles, ebooks, videos, and more. Limit by 'Subject' to find the best library databases for your research.

Teaching Resources

The SSU Library is prepared to support instructors while they teach remotely.

Librarians have created short video tutorials as well as a Library Instruction Toolbox designed to support hybrid and online approaches to information literacy development in course instruction. If you would like to adopt parts of or the entire toolbox, contact your subject librarian today.

In addition, consider adding your subject librarian to your Canvas course as a 'Librarian,' for point-of-need research consultations with you or your students. Contact them directly to learn more!

If there are no existing electronic alternatives to your course materials the library will work with you to scan and digitize physical materials, within practical and copyright constraints. To request materials be digitized for your course,

1. Sign in to OneSearch,

2. Find the item you want and click Request Digitization

3. Fill in the submission form with details about what is needed.

You might also consider finding and using resources that will continue to be free and openly available to you and your students after the COVID-19 crisis is over. For more information on high quality, zero-cost materials, check out our Open Educational Resources guide or contact your subject librarian for assistance.

To learn more about the options available to you, watch the Library's recorded webinar: " Connecting Students to Course Materials. "

Request a Research Guide
These customized guides to research highlight strategies and sources for particular disciplines. If you would like a guide created especially for your class, contact your subject librarian.

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Table of Contents Online Research Help Access to Physical Collections Student Technology & Equipment Renewing & Returning Materials Borrowing from Other Libraries Access to Online Collections Teaching Resources This page contains all relevant information related to the University Library's current operations and responses to the COVID-19 outbreak, including updates to operations, access to physical collections, access to remote services, information about laptops available for checkout, extended loan periods, and other helpful information.

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https://www.cla-net.org/page/7-1
This page is from the California Library Association. It is a collaboration between the California Library Association and the California State Library. There are links to lots of useful Covid 19 resources. For example, there are programming ideas, guidelines to reopening the library, and information about how the virus survives on materials. There is also health and emergency information and links to legal resources.

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This page contains general information on the pandemic, resources for families, resource guides for library staff including youth services and programming librarians, information on working from home, and more.

This resource is created through a partnership between the California Library Association and California State Library. We encourage California library staff to submit additional resources and resource categories and to share the page with colleagues.

Please suggest additional resources by completing this form. View and Share your COVID-19 Programming Ideas

California State Library is collecting and making available programming ideas for public library staff to use while library buildings are closed and programming must be virtual and distance-friendly. You can view the database populated with great ideas by California library staff here: https://www.library.ca.gov/services/remote-resources/

We encourage you to:

Submit your ideas to us to share them with your colleagues

Use our new database to find new ideas and support your programming

To submit ideas, please use this form:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/OnlineProgrammingResourcesforCALibraries.

REALM Project: Reopening Archives, Libraries, and Museums
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. Full information and updates are available on the project website.

Niche Academy - Reopening Lives With the Library project
For those seeking resources to train staff members on skills and knowledge needed for library services during the pandemic/reopening, Niche Academy offers free access their 25 tutorialsavailable for library staff. Topics include job search, Medicare and Coronavirus, mental health, virtual programming, finding free meals for children, and more. A few are location-specific, but most are general enough for libraries anywhere. Read more about topics (there's a link to a Google sheet that already has over 130 suggestions from the field!) and the process of creating a course.

Shared Library Reopening Plans
This California libraries have shared their reopening plans. If you have a plan to share, please email it to Holly Macriss at hmacriss@cla-net.org.

Library Association/Organization General Resources

ALA COVID-19 Response Website
American Library Association has a Pandemic Preparedness resource for libraries. This page contains links to relevant news stories, library responses, library policy suggestions and considerations, professional development resources, and other state, local and federal resources.Institute of Museum and Library Services - COVID-19 Resources for

Public Library Association
Resources on COVID-19 These are resources designed to be helpful to Public Library Association members respond to the COVID-19 crisis. These include a free webinar series, a survey on how libraries are responding to COVID-19, recommendations from the American Library Association, library partners and health authorities.

Library 2.0 pandemic website A collaborative resource providing links to Pandemic and library response resources. This included resources from Library organizations (professional, state wide, and organizations from other counties), helpful articles, Facebook groups and links to health organization resources.

OCLC Services OCLC created a list of possible actions for libraries to consider to help with closures of reductions in service.

State of California The State of California's COVID-19 resource page.

Includes a useful infographic that can be easily circulated or handed out: "Steps to prevent the spread of COVID 19 if you are sick"

Coronavirus Disease Pandemic main page includes helpful advice to the public such as "When and how to use masks videos" and a "Myth-buster" page

These resources include, among other things, a resource on "Rumor Control" and one on "How to Help"

Library of Congress Blogs - Coronavirus Resource Guide
This page is a guide to federal, state, and local laws, regulations and executive actions in the United States dealing with the new Coronavirus. The page also includes Congressional Research Service reports pertaining to the novel coronavirus.

Library Specific COVID-19 Resources
Handling and Disinfecting Materials
American Library Association - Handling Library Materials and Collections During a Pandemic American Library Association: A pandemic is an outbreak of a disease that occurs over a wide geographic area and affects an exceptionally high proportion of the population. The following information and resources are meant to assist libraries, institutions, and archives during a pandemic. Some of the resources are specific to influenza outbreaks but can be used more universally to help educate and inform decisions on pandemic prevention and preparedness. Please visit this page frequently as it is continuously being updated with new information as the COVID-19 situation develops.

Public Library Association - Public Libraries Respond to COVID-19: Free Webinar Series
PLA is committed to providing information on the rapidly evolving situation with COVID-19 to PLA members and others working in public libraries. Join PLA for this new, free webinar series featuring updates on the current status of the pandemic, examples of how libraries are dealing with closures and serving their communities virtually, and opportunities to share and learn from each other.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Cleaning and Disinfection for Community Facilities
Interim Recommendations for U.S. Community Facilities with Suspected/Confirmed Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). This guidance provides recommendations on the cleaning and disinfection of rooms or areas occupied by those with suspected or with confirmed COVID-19. It is aimed at limiting the survival of SARS-CoV-2 in key environments. These recommendations will be updated if additional information becomes available.

Wifi related information
FCC
Link to the press released from the FCC regarding e-rate related COVID-19 updates.

Comcast
Information on connecting low-income individuals to the internet

Charter Communications
Information on Charter offering free access to broadband and wifi for 60-days to students and other households.

Information on Virtual Services and Remote Access to Resources

School Library Journal

Publishers Adapt Policies to Help Educators
School Library Journal article about the new requirements of children's publishers who have temporarily altered their policies to help educators be able to use their materials.

These publishers have definitely extended permissions beyond June 30 or did not indicate a specific expiration date:

Boyds Mills & Kane - through September 7: boydsmillsandkane.com/permissions2020/

Candlewick Press - no stated expiration: www.candlewick.com/covid-19.asp

Cherry Lake/Sleeping Bear - through August 31: cherrylakepublishing.com/recording_guidelines

Cottage Door Press - no stated expiration: cottagedoorpress.com/pages/rights-and-activities

HarperCollins - through September 9: d1xcdyhu7q1ws8.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2020/06/09172315/Online-Reading-HCC-Policy-Update-June2020.pdf

Holiday House - no stated expiration: holidayhouse.com/holiday-house-resources/

Macmillan - through August 31: us.macmillan.com/macmillan-content-use-guidelines/

Penguin Random House - through August 31: www.penguinrandomhouse.com/penguin-random-house-temporary-open-license/

Simon & Schuster - through August 31: www.simonandschuster.com/p/online-read-aloud-guidelines

Sourcebooks - through December 31: www.sourcebooks.com/online-storytime-requests.html

Online book resources
The Public Books
A database collection of resources being offered for free by academic presses during the COVID-19 crisis.

E-Resources
Gale Support and Gale Access
Resources to support libraries and educators impacted by COVID-19 as well as access to curriculum resources for students and educators

Curbside delivery during COVID-19

Academic Reference - working from home during the epidemic

Programming Librarian
A few articles on American Libraries have online articles providing advice and ideas for virtual services.

American Library Association Neal-Schuman textbooks
LA Neal-Schuman is working to make e-books - including textbooks - easier to access. Visit the ALA Online Store for information and options for your institution.

Continuing education Resources:

You can become a member free, and access some free trainings. Others are available for a price. View the March 2020 online conference Wholehearted Librarian.

Resources for staying connected or conducting remote meetings:

Allows for access to video conferencing for meetings. For a YouTube video of how to use it click here.

Offerings from other State Libraries (NOTE: Double check on State specific offers)

Mental Health and Handling Social Distancing for Librarians

Educational and Activity Based Resource

Lists of resources that were made free during the COVID-19 crisis

Some State Libraries
Other states are providing collections of homeschooling resources for families and caregivers

Library of Congress Engage!
Has video postings (once or on a weekly basis) for kids, teens, adults, book lovers, and educators providing activities, advice, and presentations.

Mental Health and Handling Social Distancing for Families

Books dealing with Children's Mental Health (Open Source)

Support resources and activities

Beacon House
Resources about the repair of trauma and adversity

ACES Too High - Adverse Childhood Experiences
Provides background information, online courses and resources

Strategies 2.0
A wide range of free training on resiliency, children, and families. Once on the page, scroll down to see offerings on Community Resilience and Trauma-Informed Care.

Employment related sites:
Career Visioning
Resources created to help students, job seekers, career changers, and those seeking greater work/ life satisfaction.

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COVID-19 - California Library Association

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This page contains general information on the pandemic, resources for families, resource guides for library staff including youth services and programming librarians, information on working from home, and more. This resource is created through a partnership between the California Library Association and California State Library.

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This article looks at how libraries, architects, and furniture designers are responding to the pandemic by creating socially distanced layouts.

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Virus-Responsive Design | American Libraries Magazine

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In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, libraries have been tasked with transforming themselves into places that allow users to physically distance while being more digitally connected than ever. Design and architecture experts weigh in on meeting current health and safety challenges while planning for an uncertain future.

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Textbooks in Short Supply Amid COVID Quarantines

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In the run-up to exams and midterms, the library at Roger Williams University is often busy with students trying to borrow textbooks and squeeze in some last-minute studying.

Access to these materials is always limited because the number of textbooks available is small. But this semester, the imbalance between supply and demand is far worse than usual, said Lindsey Gumb, assistant professor and scholarly communications librarian at Roger Williams, a private liberal arts college in Rhode Island where students are back on campus this semester and participating in hybrid instruction.

As a safety precaution to slow the potential spread of COVID-19, librarians at Roger Williams are quarantining all returned print materials for 72 hours before making them available again.

The quarantining system is simple. When a book is returned to the library, a librarian wearing gloves and a mask places it on the lower shelf of a cart. The next day, the book is moved up a shelf. On the third day, the book is moved to the top shelf. The following day it is returned to the stacks.

An ongoing research project called Reopening Archives, Libraries, and Museums, or REALM, is investigating how long the COVID-19 virus survives on print materials, including hard and soft book covers and inside pages. The project is a collaboration between the OCLC, a global library collaborative; the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), an independent federal agency that provides grants to libraries; and Battelle, a nonprofit research and development organization.

Early REALM project testing found the COVID-19 virus was no longer detectable on materials stored in a lab setting after three days. When the materials were stacked, as books would be if returned to shelves in the library, traces of the virus were still present after six days.

The REALM project does not make recommendations to libraries about how to handle quarantining materials but is feeding its results to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In a presentation to the IMLS earlier this year, a CDC epidemiologist said that catching COVID-19 from a book is unlikely, but best practice would be to quarantine the book for at least 24 hours between lendings. Some institutions are quarantining materials for longer just to be safe.

For students who cannot afford their own textbooks and rely on the library to complete homework assignments and pass their exams, this delay is creating an untenable situation.

"We try our best to help students. We'll look through the catalog and see if maybe another library has it," Gumb said. "But we can't help them if the book is in quarantine, and we are highly discouraging students from sharing textbooks."

If students are unable to come up with the money to purchase their own course materials, Gumb offers to write to their instructor and explain the situation.

"Students are often embarrassed to tell a faculty member they can't afford the book," Gumb said. "They don't normally have to do that since they have access to one in the library."

There are around 40 textbooks available at the Roger Williams library, with typically no more than one copy of each title, Gumb said. The library did not purchase these textbooks. So-called desk copies of textbooks were given to the library by instructors, who received them from publishers when they assigned the textbook. The textbooks are cataloged as reserve materials, meaning students can only borrow them for a short period and typically cannot remove them from the library.

The library at Roger Williams, like many academic libraries, does not have the budget to purchase digital or print textbooks for students individually. Copies of textbooks sold specifically for use in libraries are often prohibitively expensive, Gumb said.

Many libraries are grappling with the same situation, said Nicole Allen, director of open education at open-access publishing advocacy group SPARC.

"The pandemic has intensified and exposed so many gaps and cracks in our society, and access to course materials is one of them," Allen said. "Students are struggling. So are faculty, and so are libraries."

Libraries that have built up print reserves of textbooks aren't able to circulate those materials as they did before the pandemic, either because materials are being quarantined or because students can't access their libraries at all.

During the spring, many publishers made access to digital course materials free to ease students' transition into remote instruction. But that offer was temporary. At Santa Fe Community College, for example, students are still learning remotely and do not have access to print materials in the library.

Valerie Nye, library director at the community college, described her struggle to find a solution in a recent webinar hosted by the Association of College and Research Libraries. She described how her institution is now working with a company called BibliU to provide students with access to digital textbooks. She noted, however, that this is being funded by CARES Act federal stimulus funding and may not be a sustainable option for the library in the long term.

VitalSource, an e-textbook distribution platform, offered one of the most comprehensive programs for free access to digital textbooks in the spring. In total, 219,000 students from the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, accessed free digital course materials from over 600 academic publishers through the VitalSource Helps program.

Since the VitalSource Helps program ended in May, many libraries have reached out asking for help, said Mike Hale, vice president of education for North America at VitalSource.The company typically works with bookstores rather than libraries, but Hale and his colleagues have been thinking about a possible solution to help librarians out and ensure all students have the course materials they need.

A rapidly increasing number of institutions are embracing inclusive access programs, where students are automatically billed for access to textbooks as part of their student fees, said Hale. VitalSource is currently in discussions with publishers to offer institutions a free e-textbook for library use as part of its inclusive access offer. But there is a catch. To qualify, no more than 5 percent of students can opt-out of the inclusive access program. This initiative, which is yet to be formally announced, would ensure low-income students still have free access to materials through the library, Hale said.

Allen and Gumb, who are proponents of open educational resources -- freely accessible and openly copyrighted course materials -- feel that this VitalSource offer isn't sufficient.

"It's a Band-Aid on a much bigger problem," Allen said.

In the future, Gumb said she will be stepping up her advocacy efforts for OER, encouraging faculty members to develop their own course materials or adapt existing materials to their own needs.

"I didn't want to overwhelm them this semester, as everyone is already doing so much," she said. "But I will be doing a lot more advocacy around OER as a long-term solution."

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COVID-19 forces college libraries to quarantine textbooks, hitting low-income students

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In the run-up to exams and midterms, the library at Roger Williams University is often busy with students trying to borrow textbooks and squeeze in some last-minute studying. Access to these materials is always limited because the number of textbooks available is small.

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Restoring In-Person Services in California’s Libraries

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Restoring In-Person Services in California’s Libraries

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"This document incorporates currently published library re-opening plans, related public health research, feedback from library directors across the state, and guidance published by the State of California for industries that share like issues."

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Covid-19 Resources for Medical Librarians & Other Health Information Professionals

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Covid-19 Resources for Medical Librarians & Other Health Information Professionals

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Here is a website from the Medical Library Association for Covid-19 Resources for Medical Librarians & Other Health Information Professionals. This website’s curated list has enormous amounts of resources, guidelines, links, sites, and sources which are updated frequently by the MLA. The reason why I selected this particular site is because I am also taking a resources and information services in medical and health sciences librarianship course, which makes this site particularly helpful in obtaining contemporary knowledge about health information pertaining to Covid-19.

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Specialty/Topic (Alphabetical)

Clinical Resources and Guides

Description

ECRI Clinical Evidence Assessment: Single Ventilator use to Support Multiple Patients (offsite PDF)

Critical care, clinical support

Emergency Resources: COVID-19 from the Society of Critical Care Medicine

Source: Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM). Includes such resources as a report on US Resource Availability for COVID-19 and an ICU Preparedness Checklist. Submitted by Angela Spencer, Saint Louis University . Added 3/23/2020

Source: American Dental Association. Includes ADEA Pandemic Guide for Dental Education. Submitted by Ellen Aaronson, Mayo Clinic. Added 5/8/20205/8

Source: American Academy of Dermatology. Includes clinical guidance, dermatology registry, teledermatology and business management. Updated regularly. Shared by Ellen Aaronson, Mayo Clinic. Added 4/1/2020

Find training related to COVID-19 available through the TRAIN Learning Network

Emergency medical treatment

Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) Requirements and Implications Related to COVID-19 (Revised)
Description | offsite PDF

Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Added 3/23/3030

Infection control and prevention, dialysis facilities

Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in dialysis facilities (Revised)
Description | offsite PDF

Source: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Center for Clinical Standards and Quality/Quality, Safety & Oversight Group. 3/30/2020; updated 4/8/2020. Added 4/10/2020

Infection control and prevention, hospitals

Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention of COVID-19 in Hospitals, Psychiatric Hospitals, and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs): FAQs, Considerations for Patient Triage, Placement, Limits to Visitation and Availability of 1135 waivers
Description | offsite PDF

Source: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Center for Clinical Standards and Quality/Quality, Safety & Oversight Group. 3/30/2020; updated 4/8/2020. Added 4/10/2020

Infection control and prevention, intermediate care facilities, psychiatric residential treatment facilities

Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICF/IIDs) and Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities (PRTFs)
Description | offsite PDF

Source: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Center for Clinical Standards and Quality/Quality, Safety & Oversight Group. 3/30/2020 updated 4/8/2020. Added 4/10/2020

Infection control and prevention, outpatient settings

Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in Outpatient Settings: FAQs and Considerations
Description | offsite PDF

Source: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Center for Clinical Standards and Quality/Quality, Safety & Oversight Group. 3/30/2020; updated 4/8/2020. Added 4/10/2020

Infrastructure preparedness

Identifying Critical Infrastructure During COVID-19

Laboratory Safety

Interim guidance: Laboratory biosafety guidance related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) [ link | local PDF]

Source: Institute for Safe Medication.
Home page links to COVID-19 resources and each biweekly newsletter issue focuses on safety alerts and practices such as smart pump management and dedicated administration sets. Pitfalls to avoid are particularly useful. Shared by Louise McLaughlin, Woman's Hospital. Added 4/9/2020

COVID-19 Guidance for treating Opioid Treatment Programs

Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Submitted by Angela Spencer, Saint Louis University. For librarians/health information professionals. Guidelines for treating opioid addictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.Added 3/18/2020

NEW Coronavirus (COVID-19), Pregnancy, and Breastfeeding: A Message for Patients

Source: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Suggested by Angela Spencer, Sait Louis University. Site last updated 4/23/2020; added 5/8/2020.

American Society of Clinical Oncology COVID-19 Clinical Oncology Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How to Manage Cancer Care during COVID-19 Pandemic

Source: Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Submitted by Mark Vrabel, Oncology Nursing Society. Guidelines for caring for patients with cancer in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. Added 3/18/2020

COVID-19 and Medical Devices: Safe Respirator Usage When Supplies Are Short (recorded webinar)

See also: Safety of Extended Use and Reuse of N95 Respirators (offsite PDF)

Considerations for Pharmacies during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Applies to all pharmacy staff to minimize their risk of exposure to the virus and reduce the risk for customers during the COVID-19 pandemic; as of 4/3/2020. Added 4/6/2020

Technical Guidance Note: How to Consider Protection, Gender and Inclusion in the Response to COVID-19 (PDF link)

Source: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Aimed at IFRC staff involved in the global response to the COVID-19 outbreak, especially protection, gender, and inclusion, and health focal points. Outlines issues that may threaten people's dignity, access, participation, and safety, and suggests actions to address these threats. Added 3/23/2020

Research Guide +++

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Stephen B Thacker CDC Library. Research guide with downloadable database of all COVID-19 literature. Updates daily Monday through Friday. Also includes how to set up search alerts, secondary data and statistics sources, and websites. Submitted by Martha Knuth, Stephen B Thacker CDC Library. Added 4/2/2020

Veterinary medicine

American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) COVID Portal

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MLA : COVID-19 Resources for Medical Librarians & Health Information Professionals

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Specialty/Topic (Alphabetical) Clinical Resources and Guides Description ECRI Clinical Evidence Assessment: Single Ventilator use to Support Multiple Patients (offsite PDF) Critical care, clinical support Emergency Resources: COVID-19 from the Society of Critical Care Medicine Source: Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM). Includes such resources as a report on US Resource Availability for COVID-19 and an ICU Preparedness Checklist.

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UCSC's guide of their remote services for students and faculty 

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UCSC's guide of their remote services for students and faculty 

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Your CruzID Gold login will provide access to the online collections available through the Library website.

For the most seamless access, download, install, and log into the Campus VPN as well. This will ensure you are authenticated as a UCSC user even when accessing Library-owned materials you discover through Google or other search engines.

Learn more about using Nomad and Unpaywall browser extensions to facilitate full-text access.

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Library Guides: Remote Library Services: Remote Library Resources

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Your CruzID Gold login will provide access to the online collections available through the Library website. For the most seamless access, download, install, and log into the Campus VPN as well. This will ensure you are authenticated as a UCSC user even when accessing Library-owned materials you discover through Google or other search engines.

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No business as usual: As the threat of COVID-19 expands, public libraries balance patron needs with staff safety and containment.

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No business as usual: As the threat of COVID-19 expands, public libraries balance patron needs with staff safety and containment.

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I posted a link to the above article from the Library Journal, vol. 145, issue 4, Apr 2020, for Pat Rice'-Daniels.

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Access to SJSU Resources

All off-campus access to SJSU electronic resources and on-campus access to demand-driven ebook titles is limited to currently enrolled SJSU Students, Faculty and Staff.

Use of this system indicates your acceptance of vendor restriction educational purposes by our students, staff and faculty. Further distribution of these works in paper or digital format is subject to copyright law.
(U.S. Copyright Act, Pub. L. Section 108).

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san jose state university dr. martin luther king jr. library

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All off-campus access to SJSU electronic resources and on-campus access to demand-driven ebook titles is limited to currently enrolled SJSU Students, Faculty and Staff. Use of this system indicates your acceptance of vendor restriction educational purposes by our students, staff and faculty. Further distribution of these works in paper or digital format is subject to copyright law.(U.S.

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University of Utah Marriott Library - COVID-19: Resources for Remote Teaching

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University of Utah Marriott Library - COVID-19: Resources for Remote Teaching

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This site provides much information about what this library is doing to stay safe for students and staff while re-opening, and also offers educational information and tools for librarians and teachers. If you scroll to the bottom of the page, you'll find a list of 'Other Library Guides,' the very last one provides information and training for how to teach classes remotely.

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ULibraries Research Guides: COVID-19 Phased Reopening Planning Guide: Start Here

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Collection of resources from national, regional, state and local entities to aid in planning for phased reopening of libraries The top sources for your subject.

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Vital and Visible: Academic Libraries Lead on Distance Learning

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Vital and Visible: Academic Libraries Lead on Distance Learning

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This site illustrates what has worked for distance learning during the pandemic. It also provides a lot of reflection and plans for the future.

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When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down campuses, libraries helped salvage spring semesters by supporting distance learning. Plans for fall remain in limbo, but academic librarians share what they've learned

It has been a difficult spring for higher ed, as colleges and universities had to abruptly move classes online and students off-site to control the coronavirus. A lot of students were, predictably, unhappy with the results.

At press time, class-action lawsuits had been filed against more than two dozen higher-ed institutions-including Brown, Cornell, Columbia, and Michigan State-demanding refunds for tuition and fees.

The lawsuits cite students' inability to complete hands-on projects without access to labs and other facilities, but also describe a general decline in the quality of courses taken online.

"You just feel a little bit diminished," Grainger Rickenbaker, a freshman who filed a class-action lawsuit against Drexel University, told the Associated Press. Online courses, he said, are "just not the same experience I would be getting if I was at the campus."

With the fall semester fast approaching, higher ed institutions are struggling to determine whether they will open in person in the fall, stay 100 percent online, or take a hybrid approach. Last month, California State University became the first major system to announce that all of its campuses would remain closed through the fall semester. At press time, most other institutions were grappling with similar decisions. And even those planning to open in person must make contingency plans for a possible second wave which might send students home and classes online once again.

But an online fall semester need not be a repeat. With more time to plan and the experience of trial by fire under their belts, instructors can create engaging online content, and plenty of platforms enable one-on-one or small group meetings over video conference. Academic librarians, in many cases, have helped stem chaos and maintain quality control for instructors and students. Their takeaways will help inform how libraries support and shape distance learning long past the pandemic.

READY TO GO

For the past seven years, the University of Oklahoma Libraries (OUL) has been working to create "an equal experience" between in-person and online settings, according to Interim Dean Carl Grant. Thus, they "were very well positioned to flip the switch," when campus shut down.

OUL librarians helped faculty and other colleagues get set up to work remotely and ensured they had access to resources they needed. Grant describes mixed levels of preparedness, including instructors who had rarely done more than post a syllabus onto the university's Canvas learning management system (LMS).

"I've got to give credit to the provosts' office; they really did a great job," Grant says. "They...set up hotlines for professors to call if they were having trouble. [OUL] had people on call basically around the clock. There was a concerted effort."

Grant cites multiple examples, noting that the library had quickly worked with two other departments on campus to recreate the university's 32nd annual Undergraduate Research Day in an online environment. In fact, this year's research day set a new record, drawing 142 video submissions from undergraduates in multiple disciplines.

Separately, OUL's Informatics Department worked with computer science instructors to translate capstone courses into an online classroom environment. And by May its Data Analytics, Visualization & Informatics Syndicate (DAVIS) and Digital Scholarship lab had already taught two hands-on data visualization workshops via Zoom, with more planned through the remainder of the semester.

DAVIS has been "exploring the idea of opening up their online sessions to those outside of our university community" as well, Grant says. "If this goes well, it might be a concept other units within OUL would consider. Perhaps, as [higher education] faces aspects of the future, this might be a way to build collaboration, while expanding offerings, if we could get other institutions to do the same."

SOMEWHAT PREPARED

OUL's is one of the better case scenarios. LJ 's Academic COVID-19 Response Survey-sponsored by Gale, a Cengage Company-currently in the field and nearly complete, corroborated Grant's description of mixed levels of preparedness among instructors. Collectively, academic librarian respondents said that 20 percent of higher-ed faculty were "not prepared at all" for teaching in a distance learning environment prior to the COVID-19 crisis, while about 68 percent were "somewhat prepared." Only 10 percent of respondents said faculty were "prepared," and only two percent described faculty as "very prepared."

"The disciplines which already had robust online-only course offerings (typically STEM) had the necessary infrastructure and pedagogies in place. Everyone else suddenly had to catch up on 10 years' worth of online instruction development and best practices," one respondent wrote.

Another said that "we have quite a few long-time faculty members who have never taught online and who do not and never have used Moodle," the school's LMS. Getting these faculty trained suddenly became a major priority, and library staff "spent a LOT of time helping them find e-resources to use in place of DVDs they show in class or other materials they shared in physical formats."

Michael Stephens, associate professor for the School of Information at San José State University, who has taught online exclusively for the past decade, notes that academic libraries should anticipate these training and service needs going forward, especially if campuses remain closed through fall or transition to hybrid online/in-person instruction models while social distancing protocols remain in place.

"Professors shouldn't just be told 'we'll see you in a week with your online lectures,'" he says. "There has to be some training or guidance," presenting an opportunity for libraries to step into that role.

Large lecture hall classes are already prime candidates for a shift to a flipped classroom model, he suggests. Lectures could either be pre-recorded or delivered live online, and students would then meet in small groups to work on projects or problem solving. Librarians could be embedded in these courses to provide online research assistance.

"The beauty of it is that it works better anyway," Stephens says. "We waste a lot of time getting to campus to sit in a room with 300 other people."

Unfortunately, several of the survey's 414 respondents, who were primarily librarians at four-year colleges and universities, noted that there were also many programs with hands-on or in-person components-ranging from science labs to music and theater to welding courses at one community college-that would require "creative or impossible changes" to take online, as one librarian wrote.

WHAT WORKS

Many respondents noted that campus shutdowns had made the library's digital resources both more vital and more visible to faculty and students. Students were discovering services such as virtual research appointments using WebEx or other platforms. Services such as text chat, which were already popular, had been more heavily used, and multiple respondents also reported that use of traditional online tools such as LibGuides, tutorials, FAQs, and email assistance had been rising as well.

"Our library was already offering a variety of virtual services in order to equitably serve our users who aren't on campus, are learning online, or can't come to the library during regular hours," one respondent wrote. "Prioritizing the development of these options over the last few years put us in an excellent position to pivot to all-online service delivery when our campus closed. These include: online synchronous library instruction sessions, 24/7 chat reference, [and] virtual reference (video meetings) with scheduling availability outside of regular hours."

Basic adjustments to the library's website and catalog had been helpful, several respondents said. Library homepages were redesigned to highlight e-resources and online services, while catalogs were switched to search online offerings by default. "If students or faculty find a physical volume in the catalog through known item searching, then the option is...to email [a] request to our ref desk and then we try to find a digital alternative," one respondent wrote.

OPEN-FOR NOW

Recognizing the unprecedented challenges posed by the sudden campus shutdowns, dozens of publishers, vendors, and academic presses have lifted paywalls and made e-textbooks, monographs, databases, and other content free to access through June. In order to make that content discoverable, staff at libraries such as OUL "have been working diligently to add metadata records for the growing number of full-text databases to which we are receiving temporary open access while the library is closed," Grant says.

And in April, HathiTrust announced Emergency Temporary Access Service for member libraries experiencing "unexpected or involuntary, temporary disruptions" to service due to COVID-19 related closures. The service temporarily enables member library patrons "to obtain lawful access to specific digital materials in HathiTrust that correspond to physical books held by their own library."

However, at press time, free access to many of these resources was scheduled to end this summer. Survey respondents were already anticipating challenges.

"We have a heavily used textbook collection that became inaccessible with the move to remote instruction and the close of the library," one respondent wrote. "Publishers making content freely available through VitalSource has been extremely helpful but that ends this term. In the summer and fall, I expect some of the physical collection will still be inaccessible and the question becomes how the library can support students and faculty with e-texts/OERs [open educational resources]."

During "The Impact of Distance Learning on the Academic Library," a webcast sponsored by Ex Libris and hosted by Library Journal on April 28, panelist Timothy Jackson, resource sharing and fulfillment program manager for the State University of New York (SUNY) Shared Library Services, said that OER has been "a godsend during this current crisis."

SUNY has put a lot of effort into OER during the past decade, beginning with the creation of the Open SUNY Textbook Project in 2012, led by SUNY Geneseo's Milne Library, and the establishment SUNY OER Services (SOS) in 2016, which has facilitated OER adoption and creation throughout the SUNY system. Jackson said that OER has been adopted in more than 4,000 classes attended by more than 100,000 enrolled students.

SOS was "designed mainly to address concerns about textbook affordability and the impact that has on student success," Jackson said. However, "in this current situation, it has helped decrease the reliance on physical textbooks and traditional print materials." As SUNY considers the possibility of closed campuses or limited campus services during the fall semester, the Shared Library Services division is working to shift additional courses away from print textbooks to open free textbooks, he said.

OBSTRUCTIONS AHEAD

Several respondents wrote that having librarians embedded in online, research-intensive courses was on their wish lists, but the idea had unfortunately failed to gain traction with library administrators or faculty.

Just under 40 percent of respondents said that library staff were embedded in online classes at their institutions. This ranked last among services listed-behind directing students to digital resources (93 percent), aiding students conducting research (93 percent), providing technical assistance to students (69 percent), licensing additional ebooks and ejournals (68 percent), helping align library content to courses and curriculum (62 percent), and offering guidance on copyright/fair use (56 percent).

"I would like for the library to be more involved in assisting faculty, but our offers to provide support have not been taken," one librarian wrote. "Our library administrator has not been effective at promoting our library, so I am not sure that other departments understand our value." The respondent had provided embedded support for one series of courses, but felt that the concept was not catching on with colleagues or instructors, possibly because of concerns that these new arrangements would demand more work or time.

Many respondents also complained about impediments that prevented integrating library resources into online courses.

"We have been trying for years to include a widget of the library catalog, discovery services, and virtual reference on every online course but our attempts have been unsuccessful," one respondent wrote. Another explained that "I don't have access to Blackboard [LMS] in the capacity that would be helpful for giving aid to students. I have student access, but...I can't create videos, host virtual classes, or upload content that could help students with research and other library services."

Yet another described a similar tiered access model that prevented them from adding e-resources to their university's Moodle LMS. "I have to request permission from our LMS admin and often wait quite a while to get it. We have new services, like chat reference, but I can't add them to our pages because we switched to a new portal in the fall before IT worked out all the kinks with it. I used to be able to add code [and] scripting...now I can't, and the person in charge doesn't know enough about the technical aspects of the new portal to provide quick assistance."

One problem that came up repeatedly in written comments-libraries are short-staffed and budgets are already stretched thin, which heightens concerns about overcommitting to new or enhanced online services. When asked to name the barriers their library faced to enhance ongoing remote access and online learning, 53 percent of respondents said funding, 35 percent said lack of time, and 35 percent said that their current infrastructure and systems were inadequate. Faculty readiness-an issue that could presumably be remedied with time and money-was also listed by 51 percent of respondents.

Unfortunately, the pandemic has greatly slowed the national economy, states and municipalities are already dealing with massive budgetary shortfalls, and the crisis is not yet resolved. Public support for higher education is likely to decline at the same time that enrollments are falling as many incoming freshmen defer enrollment or take a gap year, whether because of concerns about getting sick (at in-person campuses), missing the in-person experience (for those starting online), inability to enter the country (for international students who often pay full freight), or economic challenges (for the many families impacted by rising unemployment). As a result, higher education budgets will face even more pressures in the coming months and years. Library leaders will need to get in front of conversations about consolidation and reduction of services; pointing out barriers to collaboration could be one way to propose budget-friendly service enhancements.

ALWAYS OPEN The State University of New York's OER program has been "a godsend" during the crisis

ACCESS ISSUES

In 2019, the Pew Research Center reported that 44 percent of adults in households with incomes below $33,000 don't have access to broadband internet. A separate analysis by Microsoft estimated that the number of Americans without access to download speeds of at least 25 megabytes per second may be over 163 million. At colleges and universities, it's often taken for granted that students have access to online courses and e-resources via computer labs. But with labs-many of which are in libraries-closed, the current crisis has revealed that many students are left behind when courses are moved online.

"We've had issues with students who don't have access to computers, the internet, or books they need," wrote one respondent to LJ 's survey.

It's not just students. One survey respondent noted that many tutors are also facing access issues. One can only assume that some faculty live in areas poorly served by commercial internet service providers as well-and that adjuncts and graduate teaching assistants may not be able to afford home broadband even where it's available.

Grant says that most OUL staff had not experienced connectivity problems, but that it had been an issue for a few. "If you don't live in Norman [OK], it gets rural pretty fast," he said. Prior to shutting down, the library had taken carts of laptops usually used within library locations and loaned them to students and staff, along with dozens of Wi-Fi hotspots for people with broadband access issues.

Some colleges provide all incoming freshmen with tablets or laptops, and Stephens suggested that these programs would need to become much more widespread if instruction and services remain online.

"Give them a laptop and hotspot as they enroll, so you don't have a campus where one-third of your students don't have broadband at home.... One thing the virus has done is expose so many inequalities," he says.

TAKE CARE

During "The Impact of Distance Learning on the Academic Library" webcast, every panelist discussed the impact that the pandemic has had on library staff, and the importance of helping staff manage the emotional stress.

"It's vital to remember that staff are going through this along with everyone else," said Dennis M. Swanson, dean of the Livermore Library at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Leaders should check in "not just about the job, [but about any] personal needs that we can help with or help them attend to. They're people like everyone else."

Danuta A. Nitecki, dean of libraries, and professor, College of Computing & Informatics for Drexel University Libraries, said that informal all-staff Zoom meetings were a good way to help everyone stay in touch. And Elijah Scott, executive director of the Florida Academic Library Services Cooperative, suggested "virtual coffee breaks" where someone would leave a meeting open in the afternoon for staff to "step in and step out a few times a week" with no agenda or set topics for discussion.

Separately, Grant tells LJ that OUL is sending staff short surveys every week, enabling them to submit anonymous questions, concerns, or complaints. Library leaders then review these submissions prior to a weekly Zoom meeting.

"There's no question that it's been hard for the library team to go from working in the building to working remotely," Grant says. "We want to know what issues they're having, and they shouldn't have to raise them during a live forum. You have to reassure your people that these are things we all understand."

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Vital and Visible: Academic Librarians Lead On Distance Learning

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It has been a difficult spring for higher ed, as colleges and universities had to abruptly move classes online and students off-site to control the coronavirus. A lot of students were, predictably, unhappy with the results. At press time, class-action lawsuits had been filed against more than two dozen higher-ed institutions-including Brown, Cornell, Columbia, and Michigan State-demanding refunds for tuition and fees.

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This is a neat little stat-stracker I've been using since the pandemic began. It has one of the cleaner layouts I've seen.

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Live coronavirus dashboard tracker. See data, maps, social media trends, and learn about prevention measures.

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Wired magazine article about the pandemic's effects on libraries.

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Wired magazine article about the pandemic's effects on libraries.

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In the end, the author is hopeful that this temporary shutdown will make people realize how valuable libraries really are in the community. There are also a few hyperlinks at the end, to other resources regarding the pandemic.

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Libraries also serve as a lifeline for low-income families. They loan out far more than just books, Brixey says- baking materials, power tools, and general supplies that the more well off may take for granted. Libraries provide social resources for disadvantaged children or seniors, not to mention internet access in rural communities or for those who can't afford it.

"I think it's going to daylight a lot more of the equity issues that we have in this country," Brixey says. "People are going to start seeing people that they never saw before ... It's going to seem small at first, but as the weeks go by, it's going to become obvious."

It's not quite all doom and gloom for library patrons. While physical branches may have shut down, many libraries still offer a wealth of digital content for those who have internet access elsewhere. Card holders can take advantage of ebook loans and streaming programs offered by their local libraries.

In general, libraries have also become much more forgiving about item return dates and library card expirations. Some libraries have started offering even more robust online offerings, from upping the allotment of streaming media rentals to hosting online reading sessions. On March 24, the Internet Archive announced it was creating a "National Emergency Library" by suspending wait lists for the 1.4 million books in its digital lending library. The organization says the suspension will remain in place until June 30, or the end of the US national emergency, whichever is later.

"We cannot create a sense of normalcy for them," Salazar says. "But we can use this new reality to offer something different. That's what we're working on. Many of us are challenged, but we're coming up with good, creative ideas."

While libraries have struggled during their time in suspended animation, more hardships may come after the coronavirus pandemic runs its course. At this point, an economic recession appears all but inevitable. During economic downturns, library patronage surges, as millions more people are drawn by free and low-cost resources, job-seeking programs chief among them. According to a 2010 report by the ALA, libraries in 24 states had their funding slashed during the recession of the late 2000s. Combine a surplus of increasingly desperate people with an underfunded library staff and things can get ugly.

"We're probably going to lose staff and lose programming all at a time when people need us the most," Pearson says. "We're the helpers during a recession. It's going to be tough for us to do that, because we're going to be faced with either flat budgets or declining budgets, because our funders won't have the money to fund us the way they do in the good economic times."

The hope among library advocates is that the coronavirus closures will spark more awareness of the services the brick-and-mortar institutions offer. A " don't know what you've got until it's gone " type situation, perhaps, that could generate more public support for libraries moving forward.

"At some point a library is going to save your ass," Brixey says. "As long as you keep a library central to your life, you will always see how relevant it can be."
Updated 3-25-2020 11:35 am EDT: This story was updated with information about the Internet Archive's new National Emergency Library. WIRED is providing unlimited free access to stories about the coronavirus pandemic. Sign up for our Coronavirus Update to get the latest in your inbox.
More From WIRED on Covid-19

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Covid-19's Impact on Libraries Goes Beyond Books

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Shuttering public libraries puts a strain on communities-even if it's the only way to keep people safe.

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"EBSCO is making more and more resources freely available and expanding access to EBSCO and partner content."
Because, who doesn’t like more free resources for e-books!
Natalie Wells

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EBSCO Information Services, Inc. | www.ebsco.com

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Information and Resources to Help During the COVID-19 Pandemic | EBSCO

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EBSCO and our partners are providing free resources and expanded access to content to help you support your institutions

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How to Combat Issues that arose in Academic Libraries As a result of Covid-19

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How to Combat Issues that arose in Academic Libraries As a result of Covid-19

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"To thrive in this new reality, libraries will need to be nimbler and more responsive than ever before. We have learned and grown during our time in quarantine"

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In early March 2020, COVID-19 blindsided academic libraries. With little time to plan, we closed our library facilities at Clemson University to protect the safety of our patrons and employees and moved to online services only and work from home. Thankfully, years of curating digital content, providing multiple opportunities for research interaction and developing robust search interfaces and web presences served us well during this transition.

With discussions now occurring about reopening campuses, academic libraries face a paradigm shift. Instead of returning to normal, librarians will be returning to a "new normal" -- one where in-person classes and service interactions may be impossible or no longer preferred, where collections in physical format may be a barrier to access, and where collaborative study is shunned in favor of social distancing in buildings that can only safely house half the people they used to. How can we leverage this crisis to create new and innovative collections and services to improve our campus communities?

Below are some of my predictions, based on trend analysis, of how the landscape of academic libraries may change in terms of collections, services, spaces and operations, in hopes they inspire new thinking and continued dialogue.
Collections
The diminishing value of print collections. If the coronavirus crisis has taught us anything, it's how irrelevant our circulating print collections have become. Overnight, most libraries eliminated access due to concerns of virus spread. Strangely, requests for these materials were minimal. How can we make the content in our print collections more accessible and relevant in a post-COVID-19 world?

Mass digitization and access versus archives. For years, research libraries have engaged in "just-in-case" print digitization efforts. With print materials locked behind closed doors, the Internet Archive launched the National Emergency Digital Library, and Hathi Trust opened Emergency Temporary Access to its members. While some authors expressed chagrin at those actions, the result, as Roger Schonfeld points out, is a triumph of long-term planning over the prioritization of immediate needs. Although copyright issues will need to be resolved, additional mass digitization efforts should be undertaken, leveraging collaborative storage agreements currently dedicated to the preservation of print content, to make library print collections more accessible.

E-everything. Unlike our print materials, libraries have seen use of our electronic resources skyrocket. Over the next few years, we will spend more time and money developing our electronic collections. That will be a challenge with diminishing budgets. Libraries will need to develop new strategies for negotiating better deals with publishers and lobby for greater access to streaming media and ebooks, which are more plentiful and cheaply accessible to individuals than they are to libraries. New access models will also need to be developed, and if the recent Macmillan e-book embargo is any indication, publishers will make this challenging.

The end of big deals. The long-term financial implications of COVID-19, as well as years of inflationary increases by publishers, have caused several institutions to rethink multiyear licenses to large journal packages. The University of North Carolina and State University of New York system libraries recently announced that they will be canceling their Elsevier contracts in favor of title-by-title purchasing that will save significant money. Look for more libraries to follow suit and cancel big deals, relying instead on resource-sharing agreements and document delivery services, forcing publishers to develop à la carte access options.

Distinctive collection digitization. The greatest asset of any academic library's collection is its special collections and archives. Ironically, these distinctive materials are often hidden in vaults, only available for in-person access. Archivists have been challenged to provide research materials and services online during the COVID-19 closure. Look for an increase in archives digitization efforts in the coming years, transitioning digitized content from being a method of preservation or preview, to being the primary access point for the collection.

Copyright/fair use challenges. While it justly protects the creators, copyright has always been unreasonably restrictive. And while fair use does provide for educational use of copyrighted materials, most faculty members don't understand it, concerned only with making content available to their students. As courses go online, they'll want greater access to materials to use in their courses. Librarians must provide more copyright education, as well as encourage authors to use creative commons licenses and lobby for more flexible copyright laws.
Services
Self-service models and virtual alternatives. Libraries pride themselves on the in-person customer experience they provide. How do we recalibrate our service desks so they don't become hot zones of traffic and disease spread but continue to provide the high-quality customer service our patrons expect? Will we have service desks at all? Look for more self-service and touchless interactions: self-checkout, curbside pickup, scan and deliver, and materials delivery. Expect also that patrons won't visit us as much as they used to. We'll need to bring our services to them.

Embedded librarianship. Placing librarians physically in the flow of teaching and research efforts has been a trend for years. If courses remain online, deeper integration of both library resources and personnel into course management systems is essential to ensure students gain information literacy skills. Librarians can help faculty members develop course content, co-teach, provide research consultations, hold virtual office hours online and assist in the identification and linking of course content.

The rise of open content ... The quest for a coronavirus cure has emphasized the importance of immediate access to scientific information and data sets. Librarians have been lobbying for years to develop alternative pathways for research dissemination through institutional repositories and support of open-access publishing. This is the moment to advocate for open research and open data in federal grants and to educate faculty members about how to retain their publication rights. Look for libraries to also seek greater control of the research being produced at their institutions, as can be seen in the recent rise of publisher open-access agreements.

... and open educational resources. Libraries have already taken a leadership role in educating faculty on the benefits of creating and adopting open educational resources, free or low-cost textbooks, and learning materials that provide teacher personalization while lowering the cost of student education. OERs will be in demand as faculty seek alternatives to bulky print textbooks. Libraries can also introduce and manage free homework systems and virtual labs to enhance online student engagement.

Support for online teaching. Libraries are perfectly positioned to assist faculty in the development of online courses. Our instructional technology game is strong, having extensive familiarity with tutorial and instructional video creation, course management systems, OER and the like. We already provide students with instruction, technologies and spaces that support digital literacy -- using technology to create and communicate. We need to build further relationships with campus offices of online education, instructional technology and teaching and learning to leverage this expertise and ensure that students and faculty have the skills they need to succeed in this new online environment.

Support for online research. Lab closures and travel restrictions present barriers to faculty research. Libraries can assist researchers by developing online environments for faculty members to collaborate from a distance. Virtual lab environments, built on current voice recognition and data visualization initiatives, can be developed to aid researchers who are unable to conduct physical experiments. Researchers will also need places to deposit data and distribute their research. Libraries can use tools like ORCID to connect preferred gateways like ArXiv with institutional repositories to develop a comprehensive research platform for researchers.

The library website as a virtual front door. Libraries have had to rethink their websites now that they represent the primary path of interaction for patrons. Following usability principles, look for library websites to evolve to be more user friendly, responsive and customizable.

Personalization and the promise of artificial intelligence. Libraries have been reluctant to embrace artificial intelligence surveillance technologies due to our desire to protect the intellectual freedom of our patrons. Yet AI technologies could be harnessed to provide more tailored search results, monitor social distancing and integrate the library into personal assistants.
Spaces
Studied study spaces. New library designs have intentionally emphasized open floor plans and collaborative study space. How will this change in a post-COVID-19 world? Will students prefer, or be forced, to use individualized study spaces? Will group studies be in demand or closed altogether? If there are guidelines on the size of groups, how do we monitor and enforce them?

Removing tables and chairs will be necessary to encourage social distancing. Technology can be harnessed to help patrons avoid clusters of individuals or identify and book open seats in less populated areas. Look for significant changes in space design as libraries study user behavior and seek to respond.

A second, larger challenge exists in serving our populations in our current footprints. Knowing we will have to limit the number of patrons in our buildings, more study spaces will be needed across campus. Taking the lead in managing and coordinating access to these new spaces would allow us to become more integrated across the geography of our institutions.

The disappearance of public technology. Computer labs are disappearing from our campuses, but libraries still have large numbers of public computers and even greater collections of circulating technology. Public computers may become a thing of the past in a post-COVID-19 world. Libraries will encourage students to bring their own devices and provide student work environments -- dual monitors, shareable screens -- that can be tailored to individual needs. New cleaning routines will need to be developed to ensure safe circulation of technology should that continue.
Operations
Employee safety. Procurement of personal protective equipment will be essential for employees on the front lines to be safe and comfortable interacting with patrons. How will patrons react to masked librarians behind Plexiglas shields? Employees may need to work in shifts, making communication and the preservation of community difficult. Office spaces will need to be rethought, too, as open-concept office spaces may give way to preference for enclosure.

Continuous learning and development. The move to work from home proved challenging for many people, as they were asked to quickly learn new collaborative technologies like Zoom and WebEx, Microsoft Teams, Box, and Google Docs. Most embraced this immersive learning experience. Libraries should harness this momentum, providing additional technology training and identifying essential technology skills for employees in this new normal. With travel restricted, online professional development will also be important.

Doing more with less. The economic impact of COVID-19 will be felt for years to come. As colleges struggle to maintain enrollment and reduce expenses, libraries will confront budget reductions, hiring freezes and other spending restrictions. How will we do more with fewer personnel while protecting our acquisitions budget to provide greater online access to content? We will need streamline workflows and retrain existing employees to fill new roles. Student learning and faculty research may be impacted by what are sure to be drastic cuts.

Equity of access. COVID-19 has exacerbated the divide that exists between "essential" workers and those who are provided the privilege of working from home, those with reliable internet access and those without, and those whose income or social status do not afford them quality health care.

Librarian activism. Librarians across the country mobilized on social media to document how libraries were responding to COVID-19, as well as call for closures to ensure employee safety. Look for librarians to activate further around issues such as open access, copyright, worker rights and ending the digital divide.

To thrive in this new reality, libraries will need to be nimbler and more responsive than ever before. We have learned and grown during our time in quarantine. I look forward to our future transformation.

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Academic libraries will change in significant ways as a result of the pandemic (opinion)

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In early March 2020, COVID-19 blindsided academic libraries. With little time to plan, we closed our library facilities at Clemson University to protect the safety of our patrons and employees and moved to online services only and work from home.

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Coronavirus Resources for Libraries from the Mass Library System

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Coronavirus Resources for Libraries from the Mass Library System

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I chose this site because it was very helpful when we were first starting to work on getting ready to reopen. It is well organized, with lots of resources and ideas, and is consistently updated. While some of the resources are Massachusetts-specific, some of them are relevant for all libraries, and could be used by libraries across the country.

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LibGuides: Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Massachusetts Libraries: Reopening Your Library

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Resources about Coronavirus (COVID-19) for Massachusetts Libraries

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University of Washington Libraries COVID-19 updates

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University of Washington Libraries COVID-19 updates

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One of UW's libraries is a testing center for students, faculty, and staff!

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UW Libraries Response to New WA State Guidance for Libraries 10/9

Libraries staff are available 24/7 to help you find available resources, assist with research and answer questions. Just ASK US.

See also "WHAT IS AVAILABLE" and "HELPFUL LINKS" below including the Libraries Phased Reopening Chart.

Updates: This page is updated consistently and we will communicate plans through central communications as soon as new information is available.

When will Libraries open again?

The health and safety of our users and staff continue to guide our planning. As health conditions and guidance change, we will expand access and services as soon as it is feasible to do so safely.

We do not know how the current public health situation will evolve in our community, and a transition from one phase to the next is dependent on significant changes to public health status and the development of new prevention plans at each stage to ensure the health and safety of all.

Opening Libraries spaces will happen on a very limited scale in Phase 3. We are in the process of identifying potential limited locations for individual study, but those spaces are not confirmed.

What is available?

Interlibrary Loan continues to fill requests for articles and book chapters. Any requests that cannot be filled with electronic resources will be requested from other libraries - this includes scans, but not physical materials at this time.

Helpful Links:

Returning and Renewing items:

Due dates Due dates are postponed, but please return items if you are able to so that others can access the materials, especially if that item has been recalled/requested by another user.

Returning items: some book returns are open. Please return items if you are able to so that others can access materials.

Fines: Overdue fines accrued between March 6, 2020 and the day the Libraries re-open will be cancelled. Fines accrued before March 6 can be paid online.

Renewing books: See instructions on how to renew online.

NOTE: Graduating students retain off-campus access to online library collections and databases using Husky OnNet or the off-campus proxy until library privileges expire during Winter 2021.

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UW Libraries Response to New WA State Guidance for Libraries 10/9 Libraries staff are available 24/7 to help you find available resources, assist with research and answer questions. Just ASK US. See also "WHAT IS AVAILABLE" and "HELPFUL LINKS" below including the Libraries Phased Reopening Chart.

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The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) has a very large page with resources and news from all over the globe. Here, they report on how libraries from all over the world (from countries like Denmark to Japan) are handling the outbreak. They highlight the approaches that libraries are taking, and their recommended methods for reopening/resuming services.

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Last update: 13 October 2020

Key Resources for Libraries in responding to the Coronavirus Pandemic

The information and resources below are provided on a non-exhaustive basis but will be updated regularly. It is based on publicly available information, and that submitted to updates@ifla.org. We welcome additional ideas, references, suggestions and corrections to this address. Please see also our FAQs specifically concerning IFLA.

Do note also the upcoming special issue of the IFLA Journal focused on innovations in libraries during the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, please see the call for submissions.

Understanding COVID-19 and its spread

Resources about the disease

Coronavirus refers to a family of viruses. COVID-19 - or Coronavirus Disease - is the infectious disease caused by a newly discovered type of coronavirus.

As the World Health Organization (WHO) has set out, most people infected with the COVID-19 virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without requiring special treatment. Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer are more likely to develop serious illness.

Common symptoms include fever, tiredness and a dry cough. Other symptoms include shortness of breath, aches and pains, sore throat, and very few people will report diarrhea, nausea or a runny nose.

The best way to prevent and slow down transmission is be well informed about the COVID-19 virus, the disease it causes and how it spreads. The COVID-19 virus spreads primarily through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

Resources about latest cases

National authorities around the world are working to gather information about numbers of tests, infections and consequences. You should turn first to your national authorities for this information, as they should have the most recent data.

At the global level, the WHO is releasing daily updates on the situation. This information is used to build the WHO's dashboard on cases.

The Centre for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University is also maintaining a global map live, including figures on numbers of recovered patients. This is being used regularly in media reporting.

Library closures around the world

Libraries around the world are facing hard choices around which services to offer and how, ranging from minimal restrictions to full closure. We are aware that governments themselves are taking different approaches, sometimes ordering the closure of all institutions, others indicating that life should continue as usual, and others simply leaving decisions up to library directors.

Clearly any decision to restrict services or close a library is a difficult one and needs to be taken following an assessment of the relative risks.

We are currently aware of entire public library systems being closed in the following countries and territories: Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Bosnia, Brazil, the Cayman Islands, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, South Africa, Ukraine, and the United Arab Emirates.

In the meanwhile, libraries in the Aland Islands, Algeria, American Samoa, Andorra, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Australia, Austria, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Bermuda, Bhutan, Botswana, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, the Faroe Islands, Finland, France, French Polynesia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Guadeloupe, Guernsey, Hong Kong (China), Hungary, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Italy, Japan, Jamaica, Jersey, Latvia, Kenya, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao (China), Malaysia, Malta, Martinique, Moldovia, Morocco, Namibia, the Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Réunion, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Samoa, Seychelles, Singapore, Sint Maarten, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, St Lucia, St Martin, Svalbard, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, the United Kingdom and Viet Nam are beginning to re-open with precautions in place to protect health. Sweden, meanwhile, saw over 90% of municipalities keep libraries open, and 85% of municipalities even offer extended services. Libraries in the United States Virgin Islands re-opened in late July, but then were forced to close again in August. Libraries in the Czech Republic have, in the face of rising case-numbers, moved to cancel events again until the end of October.

Meanwhile, school libraries in 34 countries will have been affected by the closure of all educational institutions, while in others, at least some schools have been closed, according to figures from UNESCO. In many of these, university libraries are also closed.

National libraries too have closed to the public in Albania, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, Malawi, the Maldives, Mauritius, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Ukraine (Vernadsky), the United States of America, and Uruguay.

National libraries in Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Cabo Verde, Canada, the Cayman Islands, China, the Cook Islands, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, the Faroe Islands, Fiji, Finland, France, French Polynesia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Greenland, the Holy See, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Namibia, the Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, St Lucia, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine (Yaroslav the Wise), the United Kingdom, Uzbekistan and Viet Nam have now re-opened on a limited basis. Some have re-opened and subsequently closed, in response to wider developments, such as was the case with Albania.

We welcome updates to this information at updates@ifla.org.

Managing different approaches to restrictions

Libraries in different parts of the world are facing very different situations, from broadly maintaining a full service to complete closure.

Drawing on experience around the world, libraries and librarians are finding themselves in one of a number of situations:

Business (more or less) as usual: in some countries, cases of the virus have been limited and governments have not taken any specific measures. Nonetheless, normal recommendations around good hygiene apply. In this situation, libraries are, for example:

Ensuring access to soap and warm water

Ensuring they have a supply of hand sanitiser

Keeping surfaces clean, including toys and library computers

Ensuring that staff and users are encouraged to take time to recover if they are feeling ill, rather than coming in to work

Providing pages with useful links to reliable information for users on their websites and promoting media literacy faced with potential misinformation online.

Some restrictions: there are more cases, and governments are beginning to act in order to limit larger events, as well as actively encouraging people to take extra measures to protect hygiene. In this situation, libraries are, for example:

Reconsidering programming such as storytimes or workshops, especially for groups at risk such as older users. Additional efforts to ensure hygiene, including through disinfecting hard surfaces. Removing riskier items such as toys or virtual reality headsets from circulation.

Considering whether to close study spaces where people may spend a longer time in the company of others.

Preparing for potential further restrictions, for example by ensuring that all staff have the skills and tools to work remotely (if this is possible) and that services, as far as possible, can still be provided digitally.

Minimal service: in many countries there are stricter measures still, with tougher limits on public gatherings, specific warnings for people at risk, and closures in the most affected regions. In these situations, libraries are, for example:

Fully closing spaces and only offering the possibility to borrow or return books at a counter, or via a book drop. Some countries are experimenting with drive-through pick-up and return of books. Others are only allowing visitors who have pre-booked.

Implementing quarantine policies on returned books (see below for further details).

Implementing plans to offer remote services for example eLending, eLearning, or support to remote teaching

Finalising and testing measures for all staff to work remotely and allowing those who can to do so already.

Full closure: where measures are strictest, libraries have either been forced to close, or have chosen to do so following consideration of the risks to users and staff. In these situations, libraries are, for example:

Ensuring that all staff working from home unless completely necessary. Where staff are coming into work, ensuring that they can do so while respecting rules around social distancing

Librarians are being reassigned to other duties in other departments within their municipalities, for example using information management skills to support health and social services

Providing ongoing communication with users about opportunities to use library resources or services

Organising digital story-times where copyright permits

Promoting use of digital libraries and other tools - including potentially investing in more content/licences

Offering an amnesty on borrowed physical books, and increasing the number of eBooks users can borrow

Making library spaces and equipment available for other activities, such as printing personal protective equipment.

Raising awareness of digital offers, both on the front pages of their websites, and through putting up posters in the windows of library buildings.

Preparing for re-opening: in a number of countries, there are already steps towards lifting restrictions, at least partially, with libraries potentially part of this. Timings remains uncertain, and clearly safety should be a priority. In this situation, libraries are:

Starting to make plans for gradual reopening when rules, permissions and library buildings and resources themselves permit this to happen safely, and making necessary changes to library policies. Carrying out a risk assessment, focused both on library activities and the wider situation, can be a key part of this.

Setting limits on numbers of people using the library at any one time, and establishing how to enforce these (for example through advanced booking, ticketing, or using other means of counting numbers of users), as well as preventing situations where people may gather closely together, for example using one-way systems, limiting furniture, keeping reading rooms closed, or continuing to postpone programming, and keeping toilets closed

Implementing regular cleaning processes (including through short closures of the library), especially focused on surfaces where the virus appears to be able to last for longest (plastics, metals other than copper), or at least intensifying clearning

Developing click-and-collect or drive-through services in order to allow access to books without human contact

Developing protocols for how to respond if someone with symptoms is identified in the library

Ensuring that staff have the equipment and training necessary to stay safe, including consideration of screens if necessary, limiting contact as far as possible and enabling work from home for as long as possible, and provide regular updates

Making clear when it is impossible to open safely, and otherwise ensuring that those taking decisions understand the nature of library spaces, including through a gradual approach to resuming services only when each one is safe

Continuing to promote online services and resources in order to limit numbers looking to visit the library

Communicate clearly about all any new rules to library users, both online and onsite, and provide regular updates

Ensuring that plans are in place for a potential return to lock-down in case of new peaks in infection rates

Please see the section on re-opening libraries below for more information on this topic.

Staying safe at home and at work

In the light of the above, the WHO recommends in general that people should practice respiratory etiquette (for example, by coughing into a flexed elbow, or a tissue that they immediately throw away). People should also wash their hands or use an alcohol-based rub frequently, and not touch their faces, as well as maintaining distance from anyone who is coughing or sneezing. Known COVID-19 hotspots should be avoided, especially if you, or those you live with, are older or otherwise vulnerable (for example, you or they have diabetes, heart or lung disease).

People with mild symptoms who are otherwise healthy should self-isolate and contact their medical provider or a COVID-19 information line for advice on testing and referral. People with fever, cough or difficulty breathing should call their doctor and seek medical attention.

There are many more resources available on the WHO website. Furthermore, in precedence to the information given below, we encourage libraries to seek advice from your national public health agency, and of course to follow the guidance that already exists. Where libraries form part of wider institutions - such as universities or schools - it is desirable that they are involved in planning and management of crisis response, as has for example been the case at the Duque do Caixas campus of the Federal Library of Rio de Janeiro.

Handling materials

A key question for many in the library field has been around the risk of infection through contact with materials carrying coronavirus. Clearly our understanding of any aspect of how the virus is spread is still at a relatively early stage, and so it is not possible to offer definitive advice, other than the universal recommendations on keeping hands clean and not touching faces.

There is nonetheless emerging research (in the New England Journal of Medicine, and the Journal of Hospital Infection) into the survival of the virus, both in the air and on different types of surface. It appears that it survives for longer on plastics and steel, and for less long on cardboard or copper, although these tests took place in laboratory conditions and infection risk does fall over time.

Outside of the library field - for example in postal services - ordinary precautions appear to apply when handling paper or cardboard. What does seem more likely is that other surfaces - such as door handles, keyboards, mice, CDs and DVDs, toys or VR headsets - could carry the virus, and so should be regularly cleaned or removed from circulation.

Nonetheless, where there is a chance that a book or other piece of equipment has been in close contact with someone ill, it may be appropriate to wait or use safe cleaning practices. The general recommendation remains to take care - a point also echoed by the French government.

In order to provide as best as possible a response to the uncertainty that still exists, the Institute of Museum and Library Services in the United States has set up REALM (Re-opening Archives, Libraries and Museums), a partnership with OCLC and the Battelle Institute to explore further how to ensure safe handling, to which IFLA is contributing. This will look to assess the risks around particular materials and services, with a view to helping libraries make choices as they decide how to re-open and resume services.

The project has now published a first key output - a review of the available literature. This looks across research papers, both those which have and have not been subject to peer review yet, and coming from a variety of fields. It looks at evidence on transmission through the air and through proximity to those with the virus, on the virus' survival on different surfaces, and at the effectiveness of different approaches to cleaning. While this material will be helpful for those developing strategies, the authors are clear that research is still at an early stage, and evidence is coming from a wide range of different contexts.

The REALM project has also published the listen in to the webinar that took place on plan for testing the survival of the virus on different materials and surfaces, as well as a systematic review of the available literature. The first results from laboratory tests have also been released, underlining that after three days of quarantine, virus could not be detected on previously contaminated hardback and softback books, or on papers inside books, plastic covers and DVD covers. The second set of results focus on a new range set of materials is already being tested, including braille, glossy and magazine pages, children's board books and archival folders, and a third looking at plastics used for audiobooks, video or music, talking book or USB cassettes, acrylic display cases or partitions, plastic storage bags and plastic storage boxes. The materials to be tested in a fourth round - this time stacked together - has also been announced, and will cover DVD and CD cases, hardcover books, softcover books, plastic-coated books, and expanded polyethylene foam. This has found that the virus does indeed last longer in these situations. A fifth round of testing will focus on museums more commonly found in museums, although will also include leather book bindings. You can sign up for updates from the project via its newsletter, and 8 October..

Meanwhile, Libraries Ireland initially produced guidelines suggesting a 72h wait, at least in the case of materials which have been returned or handled since the start of lock-down, and proposed procedures for deliveries. The Australian Library and Information Association - based on government advice - has suggested that 24 hours is enough, an approach also adopted by the Library at the Duque do Caixas campus of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and libraries in Egypt, who are using sunlight to facilitate disinfection. The Czech government has suggested 48 hours should be enough, while Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium and the All-Russian Library of Foreign Literature are opting for 72h, Slovakia for five days, Argentina for two weeks, and France and the Kaslik Holy Spirit University in Lebanon for 10 days in the case of plastic-coated materials (72h for paper). Some, such as the Italian Ministry of Culture, Andalusian Library Association, the libraries of the National Autonomous University of Mexico and the Slovenian public health agency are suggesting longer still, although in the case of the Italian guidance, this has been questioned by the Italian Library Association. Similarly, the effects of quarantine on the possibility for students to access textbooks is becoming a concern in some US universities. A number of countries also note that spaces for consulting works should be easily cleaned.

Some of this guidance is now being relaxed, on the basis both of emerging evidence and in the light of reduced rates of prevalence of the virus. For example, quarantining is no longer mandatory in Flanders, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia, while in France, times have been reduced.

For materials with plastic covers, such as DVDs, cleaning with alcohol wipes has been suggested by the Australian Library and Information Association and others, allowing these to go back into circulation immediately. There are differing approaches to the merits of cleaning books, with the Austrian guidance suggesting that heat treatment will work, while others suggest that there may be risk to materials, and so quarantine is safer.

Meanwhile, the libraries of National Autonomous University of Mexico underline that books should not be kept in plastic bags. They have also set out a detailed protocol on how to manage returned or other incoming books to the library through a system of colour-coded zones associated with different activities.

Where users are working with course materials, the Dutch libraries authorities have recommended reducing risk and logistical issues by encouraging users to take these home (and to come with their own paper and pens), rather than leaving them at the library.

The Dutch library authorities has suggested, where this is possible, that mice and keyboards should be detached after use and returned to a central point in order to facilitate this process. Others, such as in Helsingborg, Sweden and Topeka, Kansas, plan to ensure presence of library staff to disinfect computers after use. The Danish guidance continues to warn against allowing public use of computers, given potential complexities in cleaning.

When handling newly returned materials, the Australian Library and Information Association (see link in the re-opening libraries section) recommends using gloves when handling newly returned books, and then throwing the gloves away immediately afterwards. Others have suggested though that gloves can also damage materials in some cases, and that regular hand-washing may also work. The French government guidance, for example, does not suggest gloves, but rather cotton overalls which can then be taken off and washed. The Croatian National and University Library (see links below) notes that legal deposit copies should also be treated with care, with the packaging in which they arrived removed carefully and thrown away in special bins.

Once gathered, clearly, the need to store books may cause logistical problems, especially for smaller institutions. French guidance suggests that if a dedicated room cannot be found, specific parts of the library should be used (and kept inaccessible from the public), or even external storage used. Furthermore, they suggest, there should be efforts to limit the number of staff working with such materials, and to provide them with adequate protective equipment. Noting the potential logistical issues that this may entail, some American guidance has noted the potential to use portable storage solutions.

Meanwhile, waste that may be contaminated may be usefully kept separate for a number of days, as the Estonian guidance suggests, in order to limit risks to others.

The Slovenian Public Health Institute (see translation in our section on re-opening libraries below) has also suggested that readers receiving works at home should also look to respect quarantining, waiting a number of days before opening packages, and then, if materials are not made of paper or card, either cleaning them or waiting further. The Czech guidance (see below) also suggests that readers should be made aware of risk, with those wanting to able to leave a book for a few days before using it. In this case, the guidance suggests that borrowing periods can be extended.

Meanwhile, for staff, basic hygiene measures, such as washing hands thoroughly with soap and water, avoiding touching the face, with a number of countries also recommending masks and gloves, at least where these do not harm materials.

Social Distancing and Delivery Services

Given that close physical contact appears to be the primary means of catching the virus, a core response has been 'social distancing' - keeping a safe distance between individuals in order to reduce the risks of the virus passing from one person to another. Coughing, sneezing, and even talking tends to mean that potentially contagious droplets are emitted into the air.

The recommended distance varies from country to country but appears not to be below 1m (3-4ft), and is often more. This may not always be possible. In the United States for example, we have seen libraries proactively ask authorities for closures where they feel that the risk to users and staff is too high.

See our section on reopening libraries below for more on the topic of enforcing social distancing within libraries.

For those libraries which are not yet open, many have maintained a focus on how to provide book deliveries to vulnerable groups and others, while taking full account of the need to safeguard health. We are likely to see such measures continue to be important as libraries re-open. Indeed, in Wuhan, China, library workers prepared library corners for patients. In the case of vulnerable users, as the Czech guidance underlines, utmost care needs to be taken to minimise risk.

For example, Radford College School library in Australia has a click-and-collect service for books, while Lane Cove (also in Australia), Godoy Cruz library in Argentina, The Hague in the Netherlands, and various Portuguese public libraries are doing deliveries, and on Svalbard, the library is working with taxi companies to give access to books, as is Veria Central Public Library in Greece. Around half of Swedish municipalities offer some sort of delivery or pick-up service, and in Denmark, Roskilde library has been proactively contacting previous recipients of home deliveries both to check in, and ask if they want to make reservations, now that this is possible again. The Central Library of Osaka Prefecture in Japan offers deliveries by post. Meanwhile, the State government of Western Australia has provided guidance on safe home deliveries. In Ethiopia, according to one news story, libraries are being placed on camels to ensure children in lock-down receive access. See also resources from library associations below for more.

Providing services remotely

Libraries around the world of all sorts have been working hard to provide access to collections and services remotely, often investing time and effort in updating websites and computer systems in order to deal with demand. While many libraries already had a strong digital presence, many others have now moved to create one in order to continue serving members, such as the library at Al Iraqi University in Iraq. As highlighted in a survey by the Conference of Directors of National Libraries, ¾ of national libraries, for example, introduced new digital servicesservices, while a survey of public libraries in England found the same proportion of them had offered online services.

To take another example, the State Library of New South Wales surveyed public libraries in the state about their online activities during lockdown, finding for example that following physical closures, the share of libraries offering online programming jumped from 12% of respondents to 86%. Meanwhile, La Vanguardia in Spain produced a list of 40 ideas for libraries to continue to provide support remotely.

All types of library have promoted their digital services - for example, the Bibliothèque nationale de France is organising virtual exhibitions and other learning tools (especially over the summer months), and the National Library of Spain is promoting its digital content that can be used to support education, the US Library of Congress's Folklife Centre is running weekly concerts online, the National Library of Morocco is providing free eBooks, and the Public Library in Aarhus, Denmark, has put its digital content at the front of its website, while the Granby library in Quebec, Canada is highlighting content focused on learning new skills. The National Library and Information Service of Trinidad and Tobago's Heritage Library Division has even used the circumstances of the pandemic to accelerate its shift to providing a digital offer. American libraries too have sought to bring literacy programming online.

Kibera and Nakuru public libraries in Kenya - partners of EIFL's Public Library Innovation Programme - are promoting local language content around COVID-19 through social networks, as well as sharing book recommendations, while the Ghana Library Authority (another EIFL-PLIP partner) is also promoting access to its digital content alongside key health information. Kota public library in India too has increased its online services, promoting bibliotherapy as a means of helping users through the crisis, and receiving useful coverage in the local press.

School libraries in the United States are also working hard to provide materials in a format that allows parents to support their children's education at home. The Portuguese Network of School Libraries has produced a guide and a platform for school libraries, highlighting ways in which they can continue to fulfil their missions and suggesting tools and materials, even during the period of lockdown. In Uruguay too, school libraries have launched an online platform to continue to support reading among adolescents, while in Brazil, the library at the Marista Social School Santa Monica is working closely with teachers and through Microsoft Teams to engage with pupils to support learning, despite collections being unavailable.Those in Lakewood, Ohio, United States have even created a virtual library in order to bring back the feeling of coming in to check out a book. READ Bhutan has developed materials to support parents and children, working closely with schools and even broadcasting content. They have also been working to create alternative learning spaces if schools cannot re-open as planned. Across the United States, school libraries are having to adapt practices, with some allowing access, others making deliveries following online browsing, and some welcoming students in, but with a focus on digital skills in case lockdown measures are reintroduced.

Meanwhile in Iraq, the Al-Abbas Holy Shrine library is providing a remote lending service for researchers giving access to electronic resources. Meanwhile, health libraries are seeing major interest in the information they can make available, as is the case for the library of the Health Agency in Sao Paolo, Brazil.

Redwood City in the U.S. and Monash in Australia are providing storytimes for speakers of minority languages also, for example, while a librarian from the National Library of Pozega in Serbia is doing online storytimes that have hit the national news, while the Central Library of Osaka Prefecture, Japan is working with the institute for children's literature based in the same building (which itself works with publishers) to do the same. Similar efforts in Greece have also allowed libraries to stay in touch with their users, and even to run art projects. The Library of the National Autonomous Library of Mexico has organised a virtual party of readings for World Children's Day ( here and here), while American libraries, including the Library of Congress, have brought literature festivals online.

Clearly not all users are already familiar with digital tools. Libraries in Huesca, Spain, have responded by developing new training materials for users to help them make the most of these possibilities. Similarly, the Central Library at the University of Baghdad has launched training to help students make best use of digital tools available to them, while libraries in London, UK, have offered virtual IT training, in order to help people use sites and services other than Zoom.

Traditional efforts by libraries to produce collections of books and materials on topical issues have continued, with a strong focus on dealing with stress and worry, and promoting positive mental health, not least the National Library of Medicine in the United States. In Helsingborg, Sweden, the library has even brought in public health experts to offer talks for users, while the Chinese library field has placed a strong focus on spreading wellbeing and helping people respond to pressures, not least in Hubei Province.

Others are putting existing activities online and inventing new ones. The Library of Congress for example is organising a virtual transcribathon in order to engage people at distance, while the National Library of Norway us encouraging users to access its podcasts while in-person events are not possible. The Dutch National Library has teamed up with a writers' organisation to provide an 'author on your screen' service, while librarians in the United States have been able to use GoogleForms to create themed virtual escape rooms, many of which have been taken up and used by teachers to support education. A range of library crowd-sourcing initiatives is available via Library Journal.

Some public libraries have also worked to develop new possibilities to be in contact with librarians remotely. Danish libraries have set up an online Ask-a-Librarian reference service - and Aarhus has a service just for children. In Sweden, Helsingborg libraries have established a chat function on their website for the first time, as have many libraries in Malaysia. Johannesburg public libraries in South Africa are running video competitions to encourage young users to share digital skills with parents and grandparents, as well as to develop their own digital literacy abilities, and sharing the results on their Facebook page.

Similarly in academic libraries, there are efforts to provide remote access, for example through an online article request service at the East West University in Bangladesh, digital contacts at the Agricultural University Library of Colombia and the Veracruz University in Mexico, or through call-in hours at Rhodes University, South Africa. The library of the University of Malaya is developing tools to facilitate online discovery and evidence retrieval about the COVID-19 pandemic, preparing a poster to explain its work, and has set up a COVID-19 Evidence Retrieval Service to support doctors around the country answer questions. Meanwhile Abgu Papazian University library in Armenia has set up opportunities to contact librarians remotely, as has the Central Library of the Al Ameed University in Iraq.

Meanwhile, the Nahrain University Library in Iraq has expanded subscriptions to the national virtual library to ensure students can access this, alongside published theses, as has the Central Library of Wasit University and the El Alamein University library, Iraq, alongside making other titles available. Diyala University and Imam Al-Kadhum College Central Library, Iraq, like others, are making use of e-mail to provide access to resources and respond to questions from students as well as through a messaging service. Rabindra Sadhan Girls' College, Assam, India, is doing the same, but through WhatsApp groups, given that these can work better on phones. Finally, Al-rawdha-Al-haydari Library in Iraq has been making more use of its website in order to promote electronic resources, as has Diyala University, Iraq, building new interfaces for access to materials.

In many countries, libraries' offer of free WiFi to users is a key part of their offer. In the United States, there has been a call on libraries to leave networks on so that users can access the internet from their cars if needs be. In Topeka County, in the US, bookmobiles equipped with WiFi routers are visiting communities with low connectivity. Elsewhere, tools such as TV White Space - a technology that uses parts of the radio-spectrum not used by other services to provide WiFi at distance - are operating through libraries to connect the unconnected. This can make a major difference for those who need the internet, for example, to learn. Others are offering access to Zoom subscriptions in order to help library users stay in touch with friends. In doing this, some libraries have had to deal with concerns around public access to subsidised WiFi (although the American Library Association has successfully lobbied for such restrictions to be lifted for now), or around public health concerns with people gathering in car parks.

The role of libraries as guardians of the historical record is as strong as ever. A post from Ithaka S+R highlights various initiatives to collect and preserve materials about the pandemic, while the International Internet Preservation Consortium is looking to coordinate efforts. Meanwhile, Columbia University has launched an archiving programme, as has the National Library of Spain, while Kingport Library in Tennessee, and Springfield County Libraries in Illinois, in the United States and the State Library of Victoria in Australia have asked members of the community to share their COVID-19 stories, and libraries in Huesca, Spain, for example, are encouraging children to write stories about their experiences, which at the same time helps them cope with the pressure they are feeling. The Association of Librarians and Archivists of Cameroon is working with the Bamenda University and the Ministry of Culture to coordinate archiving efforts in the country in order to preserve the lessons of the present.

Finally, the work of libraries to support research of course continues, with the Information Science department at the University of Kuwait for example helping to lead research into the way in which information spreads on social media concerning COVID-19.

With so many services on offer, libraries in a number of countries have been able to work with newspapers, radio stations and other communications channels in order to raise awareness.

Some activities and services may be impossible, for example with staff unable to come to work to carry out preservation activities. In response, the Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Material has prepared a guide, as has the French Association of Heritage Libraries.

Available resources

Clearly the possibility to use resources online depends a lot on the terms under which they are accessed. Fortunately, a lot of publishers and vendors have taken helpful initiatives. In the academic field, many have provided open access to materials related to COVID-19. Others have facilitated access by making it easier to log-in and access materials from outside of official networks.

Sometimes, libraries themselves have been able to provide much wider access, as has been the case with the National Library and Archives of Iran, which not only put the national children's library of 28 000 titles online for free, but also to open up its own Digital Library, which previously had only offered bibliographic data. They have seen a sevenfold increase in registered users, and more than doubled time for online consultations with researchers. The National Library of Albania also has focused strongly on building its offer of online materials, while the Central Library of Al Qadisiyah library in Iraq has made a range of materials in Arabic and English available online for free for the benefit of students.

With the first round of steps taken by publishers now lapsing, the need for longer-term solutions is pressing. As set out by Research Libraries UK, price freezes may not be enough at a time of falling budgets, and there are questions around the operation of markets for eBooks and eTextbooks.

Finally, and faced with the need to invest in new content and services in order to support users, the American Library Association has successfully argued for libraries to be included in the economic stimulus package announced by the government there. In addition, some library funders such as IMLS in the United States are offering grantees extra flexibility where it has been impossible to continue with previous projects because of COVID-19. In Barcelona, Quebec and Milan, Italy, we have seen library acquisition budgets increased as a means both of supporting local bookshops and building library collections.

Managing remote working

With libraries and library associations closing offices - where they have them - many in the library field are facing challenges around how to manage remote working effectively.

Reassigning library resources

Across the United Kingdom, there are lots of examples of librarians moving to work at contact centres for people in isolation, helping to ensure those often at most risk keep contact with the outside world, with the same happening in Auckland, New Zealand and Newmarket, Canada. Elsewhere, librarians have volunteered with community initiatives, or, as in Mexico, are working to improve the quality of Wikipedia articles about people from under-represented groups. A further list of types of redeployment at work in England is available Public Libraries News. At the local level, in Nepal, READ library centres have proved to be the best placed to gather and share information about the local situation in order to ensure the government can best respond.

Richland is also looking to provide key resources for people facing unemployment, as is Indianapolis Public Library. St Louis County Library is offering drive-thru meals for children, as is the Cincinnati Public Library and some Toronto Public Libraries are now acting as food banks. Libraries in Yarra, Australia, as well as in Monash, Australia, are supporting food deliveries to vulnerable families and people experiencing homelessness, while READ centres in South Asia are providing food rations, alongside masks and continuing to support vaccination efforts, as well, for example, as ambulance services in Nepal. Toronto Public Library, meanwhile, has joined in the city's annual Newcomers Day in order to make migrants, refugees and other new Torontonians feel welcome, and access information and services, while READ centres in Nepal have provided support to stranded migrant workers.

Meanwhile school libraries in Oklahoma City are handing out books to children - as are some state libraries in Malaysia for the benefit of children in quarantine - while the Walloon guidance underlines possibilities to give schools access to library collections, at least until re-opening. Penn State University library is giving laptops and other equipment out to students who would otherwise not be able to continue to study from home, as is the library of the UPM Higher Technical School of Engineers in Spain.

Library spaces and equipment have also been repurposed, with libraries in San Francisco serving as childcare facilities for the children of key workers and Loussac Library in Anchorage, Alaska serving as an emergency coordination centre, while in Spokane, Oregon, the library is acting as a homeless shelter, and in San Luis Obispo, California, the library carpark is being made available as a safe space for people forced to live in their cars. In Oakland, California, bookdrops are being used now to collect spare masks. In Kansas City, the library is serving as a testing centre for COVID-19.

In Klaipedia, Lithuania, thanks to a cooperation between the National Library and the School of Robotics, library 3D printers are being used to print 3D protective equipment and items such as door-handles. Libraries in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, France, Malaysia and Portugal are doing likewise, while Columbia University is sharing approved designs for these so that anyone with a 3D printer can help. Preservation departments in American libraries are donating existing equipment. In Valpattanam GP Library, India, staff have been collecting cloth masks made by locals for further distribution.

This is not to forget books! The State Library of Western Australia's offer of 'mystery boxes' of library materials was rapidly over-subscribed, and Kansas City Library in the U.S. has been delivering bags of books to deprived areas. Similarly, in Montevideo, Uruguay, public libraries have set up an itinerant book service, visiting in particular soup kitchens and other places where it is possible to lend works to people in need.

Reopening Libraries

Moves towards the reopening of libraries are increasingly on the agenda as countries look to lift broader restrictions. In the case of schools, sometimes the library remains closed, even if lessons have begun again (the case in Logumkloster, Denmark). Decisions will of course need to be based on overall assessments of risk from the authorities. The Japanese Library Association's guidance suggests a four-stage process, for example, analysing risks from surfaces, close contacts with people, the ways in which people use the libraries, and overall levels of infection in the region. The guidance from Libraries Connected in the UK also includes a deep look at how to assess risks.

Most examples so far focus on a phased approach, with new services, activities and parts of the library only resumed when this can happen safely, with some associating the shift from one phase to the next to wider progress in tackling the pandemic, while others are more cautious in setting dates. As the Australian Library and Information Association has set out (see below), a useful approach is to start by assessing risk, then developing plans, and only then setting timings for resuming different services. It may also be the case, of course, that partner organisations are not yet open, which will also have an impact.

Broadly, the library field has warned against any rush to re-open physical buildings. Even if other services or buildings are re-opening, the specific nature of library services may make them unsuited to re-open until the situation has improved further, as set out in the Flemish (Belgian) guidance of 9 June. There have already been cases of libraries needing to re-close following re-opening before overall levels of virus in the community and procedures were in place. Similarly, a resurgence of the virus has already led, for example, to the closure of all but contactless book loans in Quebec, Canada.

Furthermore, given uncertainty about how the situation will develop, it is possible that stricter rules will need to be implemented subsequently, and so the possibility of returning to lock-down should be borne in mind (indeed, West Virginia recommends continuing to work from home one day a week so that the habit is not lost). At the end of this section, you will find a selection of plans already established.

Limiting numbers in the library

One step being taken to reduce risks is to limit the number of people in the library at any one time. This makes it easier to maintain social distance. In Macao (China), the public libraries are using a ticketing system to limit numbers in the library, a step also taken in Hong Kong (China) during a recent phase of re-opening. The The National Library of Serbia in its first phase of re-opening allowed only 5 people into its reading room, while some school libraries in Geneva, where they have opened, are letting just one pupil in at a time.

The National Library of Croatia has set a 200 person limit, with an app available to allow people wanting to use the library to see if there are spaces available, and the Russian State Library also planning to set a limit of 100-150 people, also by appointment. Meanwhile, in Guangzhou, China, figures have been set as a percentage of normal user numbers. In Poland, at least early on, the National Library's efforts to limit numbers were helped by people's ongoing caution about going outside, meaning that it was possible to avoid imposing restrictions.

Tokyo Main Library (part of the National Diet Library of Japan) is limiting access to previously registered researchers, rather than handing out day passes for the moment, as has the National Library of France in its first phase of re-opening. Similarly, the National Library of Ireland only plans to start issuing in-person reader passes from 20 July.

For the National Library of Luxembourg, the number of people admitted to the library will also be increased as the threat level falls.In order to allow more people to access the library, people can only make up to 3 reservations a week, subject to availability of space, and also limit the number of books that can be pre-ordered to 10 for any one visit. The Library has also set out how many items of different types of collections can be reserved at any one time.

The focus on encouraging (or obliging) pre-ordering of materials is a common theme, in order to allow libraries (including national libraries) to be ready for when readers are there, and so avoid waiting or last-minute searches, as for example in Ireland, which will even deliver books to a pre-allocated desk.

The Dutch library system has recommended providing baskets or bags (which act as 'entry tokens', making it easy to count up to a maximum number of people - see the links below), others have suggested other means which involve less disinfection. The Dutch have also suggested that groups of no more than two people at any one time can enter the library, as have the Estonians, who suggest a 2+2 rule with groups of no more than two people, at least 2m apart. The State Library of Liechtenstein proposes to use an automatic system, with 'stop' and 'go' signs depending on whether there is enough space in the library.

Given that numbers wanting to use the library may be unpredictable (from smaller numbers in one Finnish example at first to rapid over-subscription in Shizuoka/Namazu in Japan), others are discussing options to book visits in advance in order to manage the number of people coming to the library at any one time - a practice already implemented by the German National Library and the National Library of China. Similarly, other library services - such as printing, scanning or other support - can also be made appointment-only, as is proposed in West Virginia, or digital printing from mobile devices is encouraged, as at the National Library of Portugal.

In order to allow more people the opportunity to visit, the Czech Library Council has suggested that one option could also be to limit time in the library, a point echoed by other guidance. Hong Kong (China) also plans to re-open for periods of no more than 1h (followed by short breaks) in order to limit stays, with Shanghai also setting a limit of 1h, as is the National Library of Malta.

Other options considered in Chicago, United States, for example include providing services outside where possible, and limiting certain opening times to particular groups, such as older users (an idea also explored by the Czechs). In Portugal too, the idea of giving priority to vulnerable groups is set out in the official guidance (also in the Libraries Connected guidance in the UK), with the need to help people who do not have home internet access highlighted, both of which points are also highlighted in the Belgian guidance. Utrecht Libraries in the Netherlands have identified 'quiet hours' where people in risk groups can safely use the library for reading and learning. Libraries may also need to plan for personal protective equipment when it is necessary to be close to someone in order to assist them, as in Japan. The National Library of Ireland, for example, originally only allowed groups particularly affected by COVID-19 to visit its exhibitions for the first two weeks of opening. Others, such as Qatar National Library, have opted to set minimum and maximum age restrictions, in order to manage risks to both users and staff.

There are also efforts to reduce the need to come to the library. For example, Macao (China) has sought to do this by continuing to extend loan periods and encouraging people to use online services as far as possible (also at the University Library). Hong Kong (China) has also allowed for unlimited renewals and waived fines at its academic libraries, while Guangzhou public library (China) has increased the number of times books can be renewed online.

Calculating the right number is a key current issue. Many libraries have sought to follow the guidance given to the retail sector, although this also varies, from allowing 20m2 per person in Ireland, Portugal and Slovenia to 15m2 in Poland, Slovakia and Belgium, 12.6m ² in the United Kingdom, 10m2 in the Czech Republic and Austria, 10m2 for adults and 5m2 for children in the Netherlands, 15 per 100m2 in Croatia, and 4m2 in Australia, Estonia, France, Latvia, Qatar and Romania, and 3m2 in Mexico. Some of these restrictions have started to be lifted, however, with the Netherlands ending limits on numbers of people in buildings from 1 July, while the National Library of China uses a moving maximum, depending on the wider public health situation.

This may raise issues around privacy, as highlighted by the Japanese Library Association's Intellectual Freedom Committee. The American Library Association's Intellectual Freedom Committee has indeed produced guidelines around relevant aspects of re-opening, and measures that may be proposed as part of contact-tracing or other elements of pandemic response efforts. Similarly, CILIP in the United Kingdom has prepared an advisory note, underlining that any schemes introduced should not be a deterrent to library use, impact people from marginalised groups or those subject to safeguarding, or damage the right to privacy. Moreover, data should be kept separate from other data collected, be done with sufficient capacity (including to delete data), and offer clarity over volunteers' status.

Limiting concentration of users

A further step being taken by some is to limit the number of sections of the library open to people. Importantly, even if there may be enough space in theory for people to respect social distancing, the use of certain facilities may make this more complicated, as highlighted in the guidance provided by French library associations.

This has been the case in Hong Kong (China), as well as in Macao (China), which has kept a number of areas (children's reading areas, meeting rooms, self-study areas) inaccessible. The Czech Library Council has also recommended potentially limiting services just to loans, at least at first, and some school libraries in Geneva are doing the same. Meanwhile, Dutch libraries are planning to open for use by groups of children, but not at times when the library is open to other users, and with gathering points outside. In Romania, the first spaces to open were ones with access to WiFi, with readers requested to bring their own materials.

Meanwhile, the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia is using Libcal and facial recognition technology to do the same, limiting human contact. In Sweden, only one in two public computers can be used, and the length of time allowed on there is restricted. Others have sought to space computers out, for example using different parts of the building for computers in anticipation of demand for use (as in Topeka, Kansas), or will aim to reserve use for those who do not have internet at home (as in Belgium).

There are differing approaches to access to books - some suggest allowing this but recommending not touching books unless users definitely plan to borrow them (as in the Netherlands). Indeed, federal libraries in the United States were almost equally split on the question of providing access to stacks. Most plan to keep shelves inaccessible at first, and only allowing librarians themselves to fetch works (as in Slovenia, Portugal and Russia). The Danish guidance notes the importance of avoiding opening the library without staff, given difficulty in enforcing rules.

Organising events and activities

In those countries where re-opening is more advanced, there are already plans on how to make events possible again. To a large extent, this has been made possible by falls in rates of infection, and, in some areas, a lack of infections altogether.

In Austria, for example, it is already possible to hold events with up to 100 people indoors, and from 1 July, the limit will be increased to 250 people indoors and 500 people outdoors. In these situations, rules about social distancing (1m) continue to apply, except for people living together (groups of up to four), and with an obligation to wear face masks when entering and leaving, as well as during events when it is not possible to maintain distance.

The Slovak guidance also allows for events of up to 100 people, but with 2m distance between people not living in the same household, and also provision of gloves. The Flemish guidance, for now, recommends groups only of up to 20, and only if social distancing can be maintained, with further relaxation planned from 1 July, but big events still forbidden until 1 September. One option, at least where the weather permits, may be to hold events outside where risks are lower, as suggested by the Czech guidance (see below), as well as in the guidance released by the National Library of Poland, although in the latter case, there is still a limit of 150 people.

In organising events, the National Library of Poland guidance stresses the need for full training of staff and volunteers, and rapid planning if someone is found to have symptoms. In line with the Ministry's guidance, safe spacing between participants, careful management of entries and exits. Meanwhile in Myanmar, classes to teach local languages and cooking have started up again, with extra precautions to allow for safety and distance.

As throughout the pandemic, the importance of high standards of hygiene is a key theme, for example ensuring that staff have the possibility to wash their hands frequently, access to materials such as gloves and facemasks, and that hand sanitiser is available at the entrance (and potentially next to equipment such as computers). In particular, regular handwashing by staff continues to be strongly recommended (both before and after contact with materials), as well as the provision of bins for tissues or other potentially contaminated material (pedal bins may be ideal, as suggested by the Flemish guidance). As noted in the Andalusian guidance, it may be necessary to employ more cleaning staff, or to extend hours. They can be supported in identifying the surfaces at most risk, and give these the attention necessary.

For activities that may require more direct contact - such as support with using computers, where this is allowed, best efforts should be made to maintain distance. Kaslik Holy Spirit University in Lebanon has recommended that both the user and staff member in this case should wear masks.

Where this is not possible, some libraries are installing screens in order to protect both users and library and information workers. Similarly, where payments need to be made for services, contactless has been recommended, such as in Switzerland, or charges have simply been scrapped, such as for printing. Nonetheless, it may be important to reflect on how to ensure that this move does not exclude vulnerable groups who may not have access to cards, as highlighted in Canadian guidance. Similarly, the Libraries Connected guidance in the UK sets out equalities considerations for any re-opening plan.

Meanwhile, staff are using stylus pointers to indicate which computers visitors can use in Helsingborg, Sweden, while in Portugal it is recommended to leave doors open as far as possible in order to avoid the need to open them each time.

Additional steps include closing toilets (as in the Czech Republic), restricting their use or intensifying cleaning schedules, closing the library as a whole for short periods throughout the day in order to clean (as in Macao, China, Slovakia, or at the National University Library of Croatia and Qatar National Library), or once for a deep clean (as in Alberta, Canada), and regular cleaning schedules, especially of surfaces which are regularly touched. Users too are being encouraged to play their part, with cleaning materials made available so that they can sanitise surfaces and objects they have touched. It may be useful to carry out an audit of which surfaces are at highest risk, as done by the National Library of China. In some cases, it may be possible to adapt parts of reading rooms in order to permit safe access, as was promoted early on by the National Library of Luxembourg.

Materials that may be touched frequently, such as magazines and newspapers, may need to remain inaccessible until the risk is low enough, or only be accessible to people with gloves and masks (as in some Estonian libraries). Similarly, the Kaslik Holy Spirit University in Lebanon suggests preventing use of manuscripts, rare books and other older material for the time being, while the Flemish guidance suggests that it may be legitimate to focus permissions on the most necessary consultations (for example for legal processes, rather than local history or genealogical study). Public libraries in Shanghai, also, have prioritised in-person access to particular collections, while keeping others online-only for now. It may also be necessary, as the Portuguese guidance explains (see below) to provide extra training for cleaners.

A further question is around how much library users should bring in from outside of the library. The Dutch guidance, for example, suggests that users should bring their own pens and course material for small group activities, and try not to leave it in the library. The CILIP School Libraries Group and UK School Library Association suggests that as far as possible, materials such as coats should stay outside in order to reduce contamination risks.

It may also be worth ensuring that libraries have a plan for how to deal with situations where someone displays symptoms, for example by having relevant phone numbers accessible, and setting aside a room where it is possible to isolate a suspected victim, as set out in the Japanese and Polish guidance, and identify which surfaces may have been contaminated. Similarly, the South African regulations mandate that a relevant space should be identified.

Throughout this, clear communication with users is important, in order to ensure that they understand the rules in place. Where users cannot be expected to understand - for example, children or those with cognitive impairments - alternative approaches may be necessary, as set out in the French guidance.

As time has gone on, libraries in some countries have been able to lift some restrictions, with, for example, libraries in the Czech Republic no longer requiring users to wear face masks or practice social distancing from 1 July.

A further emerging issue is the need to ensure that authorities and experts know how libraries work, and in particular, how much contact they see, in order to avoid assumptions and mistaken recommendations, as has happened in the US.

Keeping Staff Safe

Clearly a priority is to ensure that staff are fit, well, and comfortable in providing services - indeed, this may also be a legal obligation. Ways of doing this include the hygiene measures mentioned above (indeed, the National Library of Poland has suggested that no library should re-open unless librarians can be properly equipped), as well as clear consultation and explanation of decisions and plans, and regular briefings and reminders (as for example in Roskilde, Denmark). The Danish official guidance underlines the need to engage staff associations and unions in re-opening decisions. The National Library of China is in regular contact with staff to ensure that they are healthy and well looked-after, while West Virginia puts a strong emphasis on mental health, and coping with the situation of being around others again. Canadian guidance also underlines the need for special attention to stress, given the uncertainty still faced. Many federal libraries in the United States are planning to bring staff back to work in phases.

As libraries re-open, many are doing so only for limited hours every day, and are allowing staff to work in shifts, as has been recommended by the Czech Library Council, as well as limiting meetings and staggering breaks (as suggested in Poland), only allowing meetings when there is a big enough available space or setting time limits (as in Senegal), or limiting meetings as far as possible or only allowing one member of staff to use kitchens, toilets or common areas at a time, as at the Library of Congress in Argentina. In Helsingborg, Sweden, libraries are timing these to ensure that librarians can avoid rush hours also, and in Portugal, the Directorate General for libraries has recommended staggered shifts. In some cases, staff are being welcomed back at work before libraries are open to the public, as has been in the case in Cologne, Germany, in order to carry out some of the tasks necessary for re-opening to happen safely and efficiently, as well as at the National University Library of Croatia.

Nonetheless, the National Library of China, amongst others, has continued to promote home working as far as possible. Staff are only called to come in if really needed, and then work in shifts to minimise contact, ensuring that no more than 25% of the usual number of personnel are at work at any one time. The National Library of Albania, in its re-opening strategy, passed from having 30% of staff working in the office to 70% in a second phase, while the libraries of Laval, in Canada, have made calculations around the numbers necessary to provide services at different stages.

In Croatia, the guidance is, where possible, to run two shifts, with an hour between them in order to allow for cleaning. In Switzerland, for example, it is suggested that ideally, staff should sit one to an office, and in Cologne, Germany, no more than two, with common areas, for example, transformed into office spaces to provide more room. Cologne is also looking to keep different teams apart by continuing to use digital meeting tools. In Western Australia, it has been suggested that staff should stay with a single computer throughout their shift.

Similar rules will apply for other areas where staff work - for example, the Slovak National Library (see below) has also made suggestions about how to keep use of official vehicles safe. The guidance for Alberta, Canada, suggests also that staff should have their own space or locker to keep their things as a further step to limit risks of infection.

Countries will have their own approaches to the health measures that can be required of staff, although the general recommendation is not to come to work if symptoms are experienced. The National University Library of Croatia suggests that staff should all check their temperature each morning before coming to work. The Library of Congress of Argentina sets out a protocol for how to respond if a member of staff shows symptoms, and the actions for other staff members present to take.

Still, it has been noted in the United Kingdom, for example, that many libraries are also likely to need to work with a reduced staff, given sickness, family obligations, or self-isolation, for some time to come. Volunteers too may not yet be ready to return to work, especially if they are older or have underlying health conditions, which may cause delays to re-opening in some countries (and indeed, West Virginia has suggested they should be the last).

As a result, libraries in a number of countries are running shorter opening times, and looking to increase efforts to promote staff wellbeing, an activity recommended for example in the guidance from Libraries Connected in the UK, alongside a range of other issues to bear in mind in order to ensure safety. In other cases, as mentioned in Andalusia, Spain, there may simply not be enough staff to open safely. The Norwegian guidance indeed suggests that running libraries under restrictions may take more staff than usual, and so it could be helpful that staff placed on temporary assignment elsewhere should return.

Overall, as the Portuguese guidance states, a key way to keep staff safe is to keep them informed, in particular when guidance changes. This will also leave them better placed to help users respect the rules too.

Handling Materials

Please see the section above.

Public Communication

Given current uncertainty, and often the complexity of the process of lifting restrictions, libraries planning for this have also tended to include a focus on communications - indeed, this is part of the recommendations set out by the German Library Association (see below). As the Australian guidance notes, there may indeed be more questions than usual from users unsure about what is possible or not. The Canadian guidelines echo this, stressing the need to explain the changes to services, and to help users adjust to the fact that things may not be the same as before.

Channels outside of those owned by libraries can also help, for example using local radio stations or TV, or posters, as in the Guangzhou metro.

Supporting the recovery

Even as they have to deal with new clusters of COVID-19 cases, governments around the world are also working to deal with the consequences of the pandemic. These are particularly challenging when it comes to issues such as education (where as UNICEF has reported, at least a third of schoolchildren worldwide have been completely cut off from remote learning possibilities) and employment, where people risk being left behind.

For example, articles and other materials are beginning to appear underlining the role that school libraries can play in closing literacy gaps, or that public libraries can play in helping people overcome the trauma of the pandemic.

Library associations have started to bring these arguments together in order better to support library advocacy. For example, Libraries Connected in the United Kingdom has produced resources showing how libraries respond to key individual and community needs.

Plans for re-opening around the world

Below are some examples of plans emerging. You can also consult the overview prepared by IFLA dated 6 June. See also the overview from Ithaka S+R of plans for re-opening in the autumn term among American university libraries

Argentina: the Library of Congress of Argentina has published its protocol for safe re-opening in an English version, including useful infographics for use with staff and users.

Australia: the Australian Library and Information Association has provided a useful checklist, setting out steps to take around communication, social distancing, safety precautions, staff support, community support and operations.

Austria: the library association has developed guidance on how to re-open safely, drawing on international experience and practice.

Belgium: the Flemish Library Association has produced a page on re-opening, drawing together relevant information from a range of sources into a set of guidance ( translated into English by IFLA). This has been updated as of 9 June ( Dutch, translated into English by IFLA). Meanwhile, the government of French-speaking Belgium has published a circular ( translated into English by IFLA), and the library association has developed an infographic for use in libraries to help inform visitors. There is also guidance for adult education (which also applies to libraries).

Colombia: the National Library of Colombia has produced an infographic setting out the process to be followed towards the re-opening of libraries, helping the library community to understand the decisions to be taken, and the conditions that must be fulfilled for this

China: A number of details about the process followed for the re-opening of libraries in China are available in the article published by IFLA's Asia-Oceania Section.

France: library associations in France have collectively produced a statement to government warning about premature opening of libraries, and guidance ( translated into English by IFLA) on what services may be offered at different stages of the lifting of restrictions, and how to minimise risk. The government has also issued guidance (dated 4 June, translated into English by IFLA). Further guidance was published on 21 September, reflecting further possibilities for events, including making toys available for children (if regularly cleaned). There is also an infographic to explain the phases. The National Library of France has also published instructions to visitors on its re-opening plans on its website.

Further insights are available in the Hong Kong (China): the Hong Kong Library Association has shared information about plans for re-opening in academic libraries. Information about plans for public libraries is available on the Hong Kong Public Library website. article prepared for IFLA's Asia-Oceania Section.

Hungary: the Hungarian Library Institute has produced an overview of efforts on re-opening around the world.

Iran: the Iranian Public Library Federation has published guidance for libraries which are starting to re-open, including suggestions on alternative means of providing services, and care for staff and users.

Ireland: the National Library of Ireland has published its plans for re-opening safely, with visits on appointment since 29 June, and a planned return to normal service from 31 August.

Italy: the Italian Library Association has published a review of the literature and its suggestions for rules to follow as libraries re-open.

Lebanon: the Kaslik Holy Cross University in Lebanon has published its plan for re-opening, including for handling materials, providing services, and for the safety of users and staff.

Liechtenstein: the State Library has set out its instructions for users following its re-opening.

Lithuania: The National Library of Lithuania has set out its guidance for visitors following re-opening.

Luxembourg: the National Library has set out its own five-stage plan for re-opening on its website.

Malaysia: Some details on processes followed for re-opening feature in the article prepared by Malaysian librarians for IFLA's Asia-Oceania Section.

Malta: the National Library has published its regulations for use of its two sites, highlighting a requirement to wear masks throughout, and limited access to equipment.

Saudi Arabia: The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology has published instructions to users for its re-opening, including, at first, limiting access to graduate and post-doctoral students and staff, and forbidding meetings and other gatherings.

Senegal: The Cheijk Anta Diop University Library in Dakar has set out its own plans, in coordination with those for the university as a whole, including restrictions on services and numbers of users, and encouragement to use electronic means of communication. Serbia: The National Library has started to re-open, sharing a report about initial steps being made to promote hygiene and limit contact.

South Africa: the South African government has published regulations for re-opening libraries, underlining in particular maximum capacities (30% for reading rooms, 10% for computer areas) and the need for distancing and spaces for symptomatic cases.

Switzerland: the Library Association has produced guidelines complementing broader information produced for all establishments. IFLA has provided an English translation of these.

Trinidad and Tobago: the National Library and Information Service has published a short overview of its plans, including rules on wearing masks, and when ISBN services can re-open.

United Kingdom: the CILIP page on COVID-19 includes resources to help prepare for re-opening as a formal plan is developed with the relevant government departments, with suggestions already posted for school libraries. The page includes suggested checklists for school libraries to use before opening. CILIP has also already sent a letter to employers highlighting the need to assess and minimise risks before re-opening. Libraries Connected has also now produced detailed guidance aimed at library directors, considering risk-assessment, who should come to work, social distancing for workers, keeping users safe, cleaning the workplace, personal protective equipment, workforce management, and inbound and outbound books and other goods. Libraries Connected is tracking the experience of libraries as they re-open, and has also prepared an advocacy resource pack for libraries in order to help members engage with local government in order to safeguard essential funding and so continue to offer services, as has Libraries Connected in the public library sector.

restrictions, as has United States: The American Library Association has brought together a wide range of resources on re-opening on its website, including plans and other materials. At the state level, New Mexico State Library in the United States has set out plans for a phased re-opening, and a table and comprehensive blog from Idaho looks at what the stages of lifting restrictions could look like in libraries with lots of helpful ideas. Public libraries in the state of Georgia in the United States have also published a sample plan for libraries in taking decisions about staffing and services in different phases of the lifting of West Virginia and Indiana. The State Library of Montana has shared three examples ( here, here and here). The coordinator for public libraries in Alaska has also set out the issues in a presentation, as has the Colorado Library Consortium, the Connecticut Library Consortium, and the Massachusetts Library Association. The Idaho Commission for Libraries has shared a range of examples of re-opening plans from libraries of different sizes, which may be helpful. There are also specific guides for kerbside pickup from Illinois and Vermont.

Actions by Associations, National Libraries and library partners

Associations and Library Authorities

Library associations themselves are doing great work to inform their members and support them in difficult times. Many have set up pages with lists of reliable sources and guidance at the national level - complementing advice at the global or regional levels - and encouraged communication and coordination between library directors in order to share ideas and practice. Others are providing useful support for planning, both for the management of staff and buildings, and for the development of online services, through useful checklists and courses.

See in particular the following association pages:

Argentina: the Association of Qualified Librarians of the Republic of Argentina (ABGRA) has published a report on the response of libraries to the COVID-19 pandemic (in Spanish). This highlights in particular how important building a profile and providing services over social media became, and the need for national platforms of digital materials.

Australia: Australian Libraries Responding to COVID-19. ALIA has also made its Professional Development Postings freely available for the duration of the crisis, has launched a page of activities continuing during the pandemic, and is preparing a relief fund. ALIA has also published an interim report on libraries' response to COVID-19. With libraries re-opening, ALIA has launched a 'We're back' communications campaign, encouraging users to share what they missed while the library was closed. There are also efforts at the state level to analyse experience so far, for example that carried out in New South Wales, which highlighted both successes and challenges encountered.

Austria: the library association is providing valuable information to libraries about procedures for safe re-opening as well as sharing government advice, and has transformed its teaching activities into eLearning.

Belgium: Libraries and Archives Should Close for Visitors (in Dutch)

Bulgaria: Resources for Librarians in Responding to COVID-19 (in Bulgarian)

Cameroon: the Association of Librarians and Archivists of Cameroon has organised discussions between members using WhatsApp in order to identify future priorities, and is working with the Ministry of Culture and Bamenda University to coordinate archiving efforts around the Pandemic.

Chile: The Chilean Librarians' Association is working with a local NGO to collect stories about access to health information in order to strengthen advocacy in future.

China: The Library Society of China and the National LIbrary have shared a full summary of all of the activities that the association and libraries across China have been undertaking to support communities, from government to citizens.

Colombia: the Association of Colombian Librarians prepared a webinar (in Spanish, working with the IFLA LAC Section) on ideas on how librarians can respond

Croatia: the Croatian Library Association has set up a dedicated page with information on remote services, a data aggregation point on COVID-19 for libraries, access to virtual meeting services and electronic resources.

Czech Republic: the Czech library association has prepared an information page which includes health advice, updates on the government's response, and ideas on how to work with copyrght and privacy laws at the time of the pandemic.

Ghana: Ghana LIbrary Authority is promoting registrations for digital library cards, and has made resources available for libraries and users through its resource page.

Korea (Republic of): Statement on the Coronavirus Situation.

India: both the federal and state library associations have been active offering online training both related to COVID-19 and wider professional development, with the Karnataka state association offering an ongoing series. The National Librarians' Day on 12 August provided an opportunity for further reflection about the future of the field, for example through webinars organised by the Federation of Health Science Library Associations.

Indonesia: the Library Association of Indonesia has carried out a number of initiatives, including digital publications summarising relevant laws and regulations, scientific insights and analysis, rules in place on social gatherings, and a glossary on COVID-19, as well as continuing to support the profession in other ways throughout the pandemic. Iraq: The Iraqi Association of Libraries and Information has organised webinars focused on the role of digital libraries at the time of Coronavirus, as well as on broader digital transformation.

Italy: Where to Find Information (in Italian) offers an overview of national laws, sources of advice, and proposals on how to provide service while protecting privacy and health.

Malaysia: there is an extensive collection of examples of activities undertaken by libraries, and in particular the national library association, during the pandemic, presented on the pages of IFLA's Asia-Oceania section.

Myanmar: The Myanmar Library Association, in a successful cooperative effort, has run an active programme of online training and discussion for members, especially para-professionals, dissemination of information about COVID-19 and how libraries elsewhere are responding, and has developed its own guidance. The Association is also continuing to support a project to develop school libraries across the country.

Nigeria: the Nigerian Library and Information Science Students' Association has organised a series of lectures for its members over a series of days.

Puerto Rico: The Association of Librarians of Puerto Rico has launched a campaign around misinformation about COVID-19 (in Spanish)

Romania: the Association of Romanian Librarians has organised classes, webinars and working sessions to help members deal with the pandemic, as well as starting a public campaign #thelibraryfromhome. The Association has also collected data about libraries and services, while the wider field has supported overall efforts through 3D-printed protective equipment, supporting research, and combatting misinformation.

Serbia: the national library association has chosen to focus the next edition of its journal on the work of librarians during the pandemic.

Spain: the Network of Academic Libraries has prepared a resource page (in Spanish)

United States: The American Library Association has brought together its resources on recovery from COVID-19 onto a single page, including sections on advocacy and policy, education, data and research, and guidance content and protocols. The association's very useful Pandemic Preparedness toolkit is also still available. See also the resources gathered by ALA's Public Programs Office, and the webinar on remote service provision, and in their eBook on disaster preparedness, which has now been made open access. There is also this resource page prepared by the American Association of Law Libraries and the one by the American Association of School Librarians, which includes snapshots of the situation in school libraries and links to other key resources, as well as , the results of the Public Library Association's survey of how public libraries are responding, and this page on pandemic preparedness by the American Association of School Libraries.

Zimbabwe: the Zimbabwe Library Association has shared international experience, as well as looking to set up webinars, as well as to define points for advocacy around access to affordable e-libraries.

Furthermore, the Chinese Library Society has worked with the National Library to provide online learning while the Latvian Library Association has turned its conference into an online event combined with a social media campaign. The National Diet Library of Japan, as part of its support to the profession, has been monitoring and publishing update on the situation, as has saveMLAK (an organisation focused on helping libraries, archives and museums in times of crisis). The School Libraries Network in Portugal has both guidance and a platform to support school librarians in continuing to deliver on their missions, while the Information and Communication faculty at the University of Uruguay has collected examples of what libraries of all types across the country are doing in response to the pandemic

Other associations and organisations are active. CLIR has organised resources on COVID-19 on a special page, while the Association of Research Libraries has analysis of what academic and research libraries in the US and Canada are doing. The African Library and Information Association (AfLIA) is collecting examples of what libraries are doing in Africa and has a page on how libraries can respond plus a resource page, as is Infotecarios in Latin America (working with the Colombian Librarians' Association (ASCOLBI), LIBER for academic libraries in Europe and EBLIDA has developed a checklist of actions members can take. NAPLE in Europe has produced a valuable report highlighting the situation across 20 members as the pandemic arrived and took hold. This has since been updated with a review of measures being taken as libraries work to re-open, covering in particular safety measures and quarantining. READ has shared an overview of what its 107 centres across Bhutan, India and Nepal are doing in response to the pandemic.

The Association of Library and Information Science Educators has also published its own resource page, and the Federation of Health Science Libraries of India has organised webinars looking to the future of libraries post-COVID-19, as has the library at the Panjab University, Chandragarh, India, and the library of Alkafeel University, Iraq.

Meanwhile, the Association for the Promotion of School Documentary Services in Quebec has provided members with tools they can use to ensure that libraries are integrated in plans to provide remote learning, while the Every Library Institute has set up regular chats and an emergency fund to help libraries in difficulty.

National Libraries

In China, for example, the national digital library has been reinforced in order to deal with the increase in demand and has waived fines for borrowed materials which cannot be returned, as well as providing support to libraries and librarians across the country. In Korea, too, the national digital library has seen a major increase in use, and in Malaysia, the National Library has promoted its own digital library strongly on social media. The role of National Library resources in supporting the effort to combat the pandemic has been recognised by the British Library in its own resource page.

Some libraries have been able to negotiate the possibility to give wider access to legal deposit content for researchers and schools in Norway, and for researchers in the Czech Republic (alongside university libraries). Meanwhile, the National Library of Aruba has given access to the first eBooks in Papiamento (the local language), and will for the first time offer a Dutch-language eLending service, also for the first time, alongside working with the Internet Archive to offer a version of the National Emergency Library.

The National Library of Luxembourg, is making it possible to obtain a library card for three months by e-mail, without the usual ID checks, in order to facilitate access, while the National Library of Morocco is maintaining both online inscriptions alongside ISBN and legal deposit services. The National Library of Lithuania is working with the School of Robotics to promote printing of personal protective equipment in public libraries across the country.

National institutions can also play an important role in speaking up for the sector. For example, in the archives field, The National Archives in London, UK, has set out clearly the challenges it worries that COVID-19 will bring to the field.

Library Partners

There have been very welcome moves by publishers, vendors and others working with libraries to facilitate access to content even when library buildings are forced to close. As set out in the statement by the IFLA President and Secretary-General, it is to be hoped that such steps are generalised as we all look to work together to allow learning, research and access to culture to continue.

A key step has been to allow remote access to content which normally would be restricted to on-site users. VitalSource has worked with its publisher partners to broaden access to materials using only an e-mail address to log-in, as has ProQuest through eBook Central and Springer through extended log-in periods and Emerald through remote access possibilities, , while the Journal of the American Medical Association is also allowing for much more off-site access, as are sites such as ancestry.com. Michigan University Press is allowing read (but not download) access to much of its content. Children's publisher Collins in the UK is making content previously limited to on-site access available remotely. There are also positive examples from Latvia and Kenya, and from across the US as the pandemic spread into its second semester.

Some publishers have also been ready to take account of the fact that some libraries may simply not be able to make payments at the moment, for example Bristol University Press.

Like others (for example, APA, EBSCO, Emerald, Frontiers, Springer Nature, Elsevier, Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, ZB MED, and MIT Press), SAGE is also concentrating and sharing resources on COVID-19 and managing pandemics through a microsite. The White House has taken a major step to facilitate text and data mining to help find solutions by releasing 29 000 papers for analysis. Emerald is also boosting support for creating and sharing publications around how libraries have responded to the pandemic through making volumes open, and planning thematic issues.

A key question currently will be how long extraordinary measures last. Where these are withdrawn before libraries are able to return to normal operations, there is a risk of harm to library users.

Finally, a key IFLA partner - OCLC - has held a town hall meeting bringing together over a thousand librarians in order to share stories and build understanding of the needs of the profession.

Communicating with users in different languages

IFLA's Library Services to Multicultural Populations Section is working with the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) to develop translated signage and text to support libraries communicating with their linguistically diverse communities, particularly in relation to library closures and accessing online information. These resources are available in MS Word format. Libraries are welcome to adapt and use this content as best meets their needs to communicate with their community. Translations will be made available in more languages as they are developed.

Ongoing issues

IFLA is aware that the pandemic has brought up a number of wider issues which we are following closely. In addition to copyright - mentioned above - there are concerns around the impacts of the crisis on the broader culture, education and research sectors, privacy, and ensuring democratic norms are protected. We continue to monitor these issues closely and will share information and views as appropriate.

IFLA has also highlighted the challenges faced in particular by university libraries in accessing eBooks, and explored where there may be the grounds for a competition investigation. We have signed the ICOLC Statement on resource access and COVID-19, and produced our own set of principles for use by library associations in negotiations with rightholders, as well as principles governments should look to guarantee in order to ensure that the class of 2020 does not end up less well informed than those who have come before. Libraries themselves are speaking out against practices that can limit access, for example restrictive licensing, and the pricing of academic eBooks. IFLA itself has taken part in discussions around the potential of Controlled Digital Lending to provide answers to access challenges during the pandemic.

Through blogs, we have also explored how library values are being affected and potentially put at risk, and how libraries can support freedom of expression.

We have also produced a first blog looking at overall trends that may result from the pandemic, from a variety of policy perspectives, as well as a follow-up piece identifying specific potential advocacy points in the short, medium and longer term, and a set of ideas on how to build advocacy capacity, even while under lockdown. In particular, we have highlighted the importance of preserving the idea of core government funding for libraries so that they can maintain their public focus, and set out five suggestions, based on existing ideas, for how libraries can be included in economic stimulus packages.

IFLA's activities

IFLA's work to strengthen and unite the global library field continues, not just in spite of the COVID-19 Pandemic, but because of it. We are determined to maintain the momentum created by the Global Vision process and the launch of our Strategy last year, and believe strongly that the mission it sets out is as relevant now as it has ever been.

As set out in our FAQs about IFLA and the COVID-19 pandemic, we have already worked hard to ensure that our volunteers and staff can continue their crucial work, and have seen a series of successful mid-term meetings by our Professional Units organised over the past weeks. The above also contains a number of examples of what IFLA is already doing.

Meanwhile, IFLA's Document Delivery and Resource-Sharing Section has launched a new service to support the sharing of resources across borders as a way of relieving some of the disruption caused by the pandemic.

However, this is just the beginning. We are also looking forward to announcing exciting new services and opportunities to build a stronger field powering literate, informed and participatory societies into the future. In this, we will be working closely with our Professional Units - the biggest brains trust in the global library field - in order to help inspire, engage, enable and connect the global library field. We look forward to sharing more.

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Last update: 13 October 2020 The information and resources below are provided on a non-exhaustive basis but will be updated regularly. It is based on publicly available information, and that submitted to updates@ifla.org. We welcome additional ideas, references, suggestions and corrections to this address. Please see also our FAQs specifically concerning IFLA.

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Reinventing Academic Libraries and Learning

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Reinventing Academic Libraries and Learning

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Post from Gray Forier

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One of my coworkers in Cal Poly Pomona did a really great writeup of digital privacy, with a focus on COVID-19 since many of us are stuck at home.

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It looks like you're using Internet Explorer 11 or older. This website works best with modern browsers such as the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. If you continue with this browser, you may see unexpected results.

As the world adapts under coronavirus, countless universities and college campuses like Cal Poly Pomona have rapidly introduced online instruction and encouraged the use of digital collaboration tools. Though these tools and services are absolutely essential in this uncertain time, many of the most popular platforms also pose a privacy risk to their new users.

The following guide offers a simplified privacy-centric breakdown of commonly used video conferencing programs, collaboration tools, and browsers, alongside secure alternatives.

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Guides: Digital Privacy: Privacy and COVID-19

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UCSD Covid 19 Lib Guide

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Skip to main content

It looks like you're using Internet Explorer 11 or older. This website works best with modern browsers such as the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. If you continue with this browser, you may see unexpected results.

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Skip to main content It looks like you're using Internet Explorer 11 or older. This website works best with modern browsers such as the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. If you continue with this browser, you may see unexpected results.

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The General Operations and COVID-19 Impacts to the Bluford Library (North Carolina A&T State University)

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Tools for libraries "plotting a path to reopening." A number of resources for all libraries to utilize.

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Strong libraries - and a well-supported library workforce - are essential to the recovery of communities devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This collection of tools, developed and updated by units across the American Library Association, will help communities, library workers, and library supporters plot the best course forward for their libraries.

"Libraries are places of learning and connection for all ages and backgrounds, so this crisis has challenged us to work creatively to adapt services while our facilities are closed. From bridging the digital divide to addressing learning loss to aiding job seekers and small businesses, we know library services are essential to campus and community recovery and resilience."

- ALA Immediate Past President Wanda Brown

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Strong libraries - and a well-supported library workforce - are essential to the recovery of communities devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This collection of tools, developed and updated by units across the American Library Association, will help communities, library workers, and library supporters plot the best course forward for their libraries.

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"MIT Press and the University of California, Berkeley, are leading an effort to rapidly review research related to the pandemic and stop the spread of misinformation." I thought this initiative was interesting because it directly relates to pre-prints and the peer-review process, which we went over earlier in the course.

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To understand and prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers are working at a rapid clip.

As funders scale COVID-19 research grants and expedite application processes, publishers too are trying to move quickly to ensure that academics, policy makers and the public can access the latest research developments in a timely fashion.

This rush to disseminate information is exposing cracks in the scholarly research system. Academic journals have not been fast-moving historically, and traditional peer review can take months. To make research findings available quickly, many researchers are publishing versions of papers that have not yet been peer reviewed on preprint servers such as arXiv, bioRxiv and SSRN.

Preprint servers play an increasingly important role in the scholarly publishing landscape. They are a popular platform for researchers to get early feedback on their research. They are also a space where researchers can publish research products and data sets not typically published in traditional journals. The process is fast -- publication of open-access research that anyone can read is immediate.

The downside of this open publication system is that sometimes controversial or poor-quality research can garner a lot of attention on social media or in news articles, said Stefano Bertozzi, professor of health policy and management at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health. In the clamor for information about COVID-19, it is easy for misinformation to spread online, he said.

To combat this, MIT Press and the Berkeley School of Public Health are launching a new COVID-19 journal, one that will peer review preprint articles getting a lot of attention -- elevating the good research and debunking the bad.

The Rapid Reviews: COVID-19 journal will be led by Bertozzi, who will serve as the first editor in chief. Unlike a traditional journal, authors will not submit their work for review. Instead, the Rapid Reviews team will select and review already-published preprint articles -- a publishing model known as an overlay journal.

Article authors will be notified if their research is selected for review, but the Rapid Reviews team will not wait for their permission to publish public reviews of their work. These reviews will be published as stand-alone articles using open-source publishing platform PubPub. The authors of research papers deemed to be high-quality will be invited to publish their work with Rapid Reviews in a more conventional journal format.

The work of screening potentially thousands of preprint articles is not going to be easy, acknowledges Bertozzi. He plans to collaborate with researchers at the University of Washington and other institutions that have already developed processes to sift through the vast volume of pandemic research published every day. A network of student screeners from UC Berkeley and other institutions will assist in this process. Artificial intelligence will also be used to identify potentially noteworthy articles.

There are already more than 5,800 articles relating to the pandemic on bioRxiv and medRxiv, said John Inglis, who co-founded the preprint servers. "I do think it necessary to peer review at least some of the many thousands of pandemic-related preprints that have appeared," he said in an email.

"I applaud this initiative by MIT Press. It is one of several efforts the research community has mounted to provide rapid review or commentary on COVID-19 preprints," said Inglis, who is also executive director and publisher of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. "It's important that reviews are done quickly, also by experts, since we're in a public health crisis where new and reliable information is vital to the management of patients and communities more broadly," he said.

The academic scope of the Rapid Reviews journal is broad and not confined to biomedical research, said Bertozzi. The speed of the review process will depend on the availability of subject matter experts. Bertozzi hopes for quick turnarounds -- publication of reviews within a week or two of Rapid Reviews selecting the articles would be the ideal, he said.

Funding for the journal is being provided by the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, which has supplied a $350,000 grant. Vilas Dhar, a trustee of the foundation, described the Rapid Reviews initiative as a "breakthrough in academic publishing, bringing together urgency and scientific rigor so the world's researchers can rapidly disseminate new discoveries that we can trust."

"We are confident the RR:C19 journal will quickly become an invaluable resource for researchers, public health officials, and healthcare providers on the frontline of this pandemic," said Dhar in a news release. "We're also excited about the potential for a long-term transformation in how we evaluate and share research across all scientific disciplines."

The formation of the journal, which will publish its first reviews in early July, was incredibly fast, said Nick Lindsay, director of journals and open access at MIT Press. Conversations about the need for peer review of COVID-19 preprints began in March, and support has been substantial, he said.

"We want to ensure that clinicians and researchers have trusted information they need to make crucial decisions. We also want to ensure we don't have any more misinformation seeping out into the mainstream and being consumed by the public in a way that it really shouldn't," said Lindsay.

Open postpublication peer review is a good solution to help rapidly correct errors and improve research, said Jessica Polka, executive director of ASAPbio, a nonprofit promoting transparent and innovative science communication. Polka noted that a group of leading open-access publishers recently called for traditional peer-review practices to change in order for important COVID-19 research to be reviewed and openly published as quickly as possible.

There are several overlay journals that review preprint articles, said Daniel Himmelstein, a biodata scientist at the University of Pennsylvania. In the past he has reviewed articles for initiatives such as biOverlay and published links to his reviews in the comment section of bioRxiv. "I like reviewing things that are already online because I can immediately post my review and engage in a conversation with the authors," he said.

"It's great to see the first steps being taken to develop an ecosystem where authors can publish their research openly and people can post their feedback publicly," said Himmelstein. "I think ultimately this will be much better than our current peer review system which is often done in a private way where the public never gets to see the assessment."

It is possible that the reviews conducted by Rapid Reviews may be considered good enough to replace the reviews conducted by traditional journals, said Bertozzi. "It will be interesting to see the degree to which journals will use our reviews to accelerate their publication processes, that would be another real impact we could have," he said.

For traditional publishers, speeding up prepublication peer-review processes is challenging. In recent months, more than 20 research papers on COVID-19 published in peer-reviewed journals have been taken down from public view, according to science publishing watchdog blog Retraction Watch. The reasons behind these retraction decisions are not always explained. Most of the time publishers retract articles following scrutiny and criticism of research methods and data. Sometimes authors themselves request retractions of their published works.

Two controversial COVID-19 research papers were retracted from high-profile, well-regarded journals earlier this month. Both The New England Journal of Medicine and The Lancet retracted studies after questions were raised about the reliability of a company-owned private database of electronic health records used as underlying data in both papers. These retractions illustrate that even the most well-resourced journals can get peer review wrong, Bertozzi said.

"These are very prestigious journals with egg on their face for an inadequate peer review process," Bertozzi said. When you're rushing, mistakes happen, he said. "I'm sure we'll have egg on our face, too, before too long."

Emphasizing speed in the peer-review process can lead to errors in judgement, but Bertozzi hopes that by encouraging reviewers to attach their names to publicly published reviews, transparency and accountability will promote thoughtfulness and care. Bertozzi hopes that each preprint article selected for review will be reviewed by at least two experts in the field. The reviews will themselves be reviewed to ensure they meet certain quality benchmarks, Bertozzi said.

Most scholarly journals have a system of prepublication peer review that is slow-moving and offers limited incentives to researchers asked to be reviewers. Reviewers are not typically paid, nor are their names typically attached to reviews. The peer-review process typically happens behind the scenes, meaning reviewers are not recognized publicly for their work. The Rapid Reviews team members hope that their journal can demonstrate a new model for how to handle research during a crisis.

"I like the idea and think it could be extremely useful," said Paul Ginsparg, professor of physics and information science at Cornell University and founder of the arXiv preprint server. The initiative is likely to face challenges, however, he said. Fast turnarounds by reviewers are "highly desirable but not clearly sustainable," he said.

"The most expert reviewers are the people working in the area, who are also incredibly busy, unsurprisingly," said Ginsparg. "Depending on the number of reviews, they'd burn out fairly quickly, and if the reviewer pool grows too large, then the expertise is diluted."

For the Rapid Reviews reviews to gain visibility, it would be beneficial for preprint articles to include links to published reviews. Early discussions with staff at leading preprint servers about this have been positive, said Lindsay. But not all servers have the capability at this point to include links to Rapid Reviews reviews beneath published articles.

If the servers want to publish links to reviews under preprint articles, it would be technically straightforward, said Ginsparg, who coined the term "overlay journal" in the mid-'90s.

"The issue, of course, is whether more of these overlays will arise, and then preprint servers will have to make decisions about which to accommodate," he said.

"Another issue is author buy-in," Ginsparg said. "Some might not be thrilled to have a negative review posted prominently, and it might be necessary to warn them at the point of deposition that a review might be posted."

Ginsparg asked whether authors might be able to post a rebuttal, and if they republish the preprint with revisions, whether the article will be re-reviewed. Authors will be able to respond to reviews, said Bertozzi in response. If authors decide to publish a revised preprint, it is possible the research may be reviewed again. The Rapid Reviews team will work with preprint servers to ensure that different versions of preprints and corresponding reviews are clearly labelled and discoverable.

Trying to manage different versions of articles and reviews could get complicated, said Ginsparg. "I can think of a number of problematic scenarios, all ultimately requiring additional human labor," he said. "This is fine in principle but costs money at both ends. These things can work with volunteer labor for a while, but in the long run, there's no free lunch."

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New MIT Press Journal to Debunk Bad COVID-19 Research

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To understand and prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers are working at a rapid clip. As funders scale COVID-19 research grants and expedite application processes, publishers too are trying to move quickly to ensure that academics, policy makers and the public can access the latest research developments in a timely fashion.

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Thought this article was particularly interesting as it focuses on where I am from.

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The aisles of Bay Area public libraries have been quiet over the past two months with shelter-in-place orders in effect due to the coronavirus pandemic.

As summer approaches, however, individuals and families around Northern California are wondering how they will be able to access the much-needed materials, resources and activities offered by their local branches.

Many librarians are wondering the same thing, too.

Plans to reopen libraries are still in the discussion phase for most Bay Area counties, especially with many of their employees deployed as emergency service workers.

But some general guidelines are coming into focus as stay-at-home restrictions are loosened. The days of leisurely browsing the stacks, jumping on the internet and dropping in on lively toddler sing-alongs will be on hold for the foreseeable future.

"It's going to look different," said Diane Roche, director of communications for the Santa Clara County Library District. "It's going to be different."

What that looks like in California will vary county-by-county. Generally speaking, though, patrons can expect no-contact curbside pickups and drop-offs; a set quarantine period for books, DVDs and other borrowed materials that could last from 72 hours to seven days; mandatory face covering requirements inside buildings; sneeze guards and hand sanitizer at service desks; and one-way arrows in the aisles.

"There's a lot of logistics to it," said Sara Jones, director of Marin County Library Services. "We understand that people want books. We understand libraries are essential. But we have to figure out how to open them safely."

The timeline for reopening libraries depends largely on when they will be able to recover a significant portion of their workforce that was redeployed as disaster service workers.

In some places, such as Marin County, approximately 30% to 40% of library workers are currently working on the front lines of the pandemic, either contact tracing, delivering meals to at-risk individuals or managing social services.

"Our whole world has been upended," said Jones.

Working with guidelines provided by the national Institute of Museum and Library Services and local health departments, as well as observing what's happening in their individual communities, libraries hope to put together a clearer vision of what their operations may look like.

"We're looking at real world experience - what are the things we can learn from what's going on in the retail side right now?" said Matt Berson, public information officer for the Oakland Public Library. "We're also observing what other library systems around the country are planning. Some have already reopened and we've got a team looking at what that would look like."

Alameda and Napa counties were among the first in the region to resume basic library services at some branches this week, using curbside pickup for online holds.

"There was a lot of happiness when we opened (Wednesday) - among our team and the public," said Cindy Chadwick, county librarian for Alameda County. "It was our first time opening our doors in weeks, and it was a good day."

In Napa, patrons receiving materials on Thursday were required to park their cars in designated spaces, remain inside the vehicle and call the library to have a staff member deliver their items to them.

"This was a long process of looking at many things," said Anthony Halstead, director of library services for Napa County. "As an institution with the idea of 'circulation' at the forefront of our service model, that's different than retail and increases the potential for exposure."

Roche said that when libraries reopen their doors, patrons will be encouraged to use self-service options when checking out materials. They also will be asked to limit communication with the staff to chat, email or phone.

The safety of library staff and visitors alike will be a determining factor in how things feel.

"There will be a phased introduction of services," she said. "It will be based on the strictest guidelines."

In the meantime, libraries have successfully managed to move most of their resources online.

"It's important to consider what libraries have been able to continue to do, how adaptable they've been and how important they're likely to be as our economy and society begin the recovery process," Halstead said.

The library representatives who spoke to The Chronicle noted a huge spike in electronic checkouts and are looking to increase their purchases of e-books.

"Every library system is figuring this out as we go," Chadwick said. "Physical distancing is not what public libraries do - it's completely alien to our business. But we are lucky to have great professional networks, and an ethos of collaboration, so we are all talking to each other constantly."

Libraries have moved many of their regular programs, from author talks to children's story times, online with huge success.

"We have seriously amped up our online presence," said Jones. "We brought so many more materials online and put more resources in them."

The robust digital options will most likely stay in place even after the threat of COVID-19 passes.

"It's one good thing that's come out of this whole horrible situation," said Roche. "We want to keep our patrons reading."

Berson said Oakland libraries will join other libraries across the country to move its popular summer learning challenge program online, following the virtual success of its community service offerings, such as its weekly free law consultation roundtable.

"Now, more than ever, libraries need to rise to the occasion to assist our communities, and we are doing just that," said Katie Woods, communications manager of San Mateo County Libraries. "Currently, we are offering over 25 virtual staff-led adult and youth programs a week, and we've started one-on-one virtual tech help assistance, ESL (English as a second language) conversation clubs and virtual book clubs."

Bay Area libraries are also working to close the digital divide by boosting the Wi-Fi range to reach the grounds and parking lots to help people access the internet while their branches are closed.

That's important for people who depend on libraries to stay connected, whether it's to fill out job applications or file for food assistance programs.

"We are working on innovative ways we can keep our community connected during shelter-in-place," said Woods

That includes the distribution of more than 500 hotspots, some of which are laptop and hotspot combos. That is happening in Marin, Napa, Alameda and other counties, too.

As for all those items that have been checked out since lockdown orders went into effect in March - some counties estimate they number in the hundreds of thousands - patrons can rest easy.

"Obviously, we want to get all those materials returned, but we want to be flexible," said Roche.

All the libraries we spoke with have extended due dates and eliminated overdue fines.

"Libraries will be more needed than ever with the economic challenges coming," Chadwick said. "I'm actually excited for the next iteration of public libraries; it's time. ... I have no doubt we will keep innovating and we will find ways to meet our communities' needs."

Aidin Vaziri is a staff writer for The San Francisco Chronicle. Email: avaziri@sfchronicle.com

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What Bay Area libraries will look like when they reopen

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The aisles of Bay Area public libraries have been quiet over the past two months with shelter-in-place orders in effect due to the coronavirus pandemic. As summer approaches, however, individuals and families around Northern California are wondering how they will be able to access the much-needed materials, resources and activities offered by their local branches.

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I have found articles in this resource helpful. The blog posts are concise and  deal with current issues in Academic Libraries.

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I have found articles in this resource helpful. The blog posts are concise and  deal with current issues in Academic Libraries.

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Today's Link for October 21, 2020:
The Problem of Free Speech in an Age of Disinformation [The New York Times]

What is this?

The Library Link of the Day provides you a daily link for keeping up to date with the library profession. Destinations include the latest library news, good reads on the web, and other valuable resources that a library knowledge worker should know about. The link is presented without commentary. Links always lead to free content, but sometimes require registration (also free).

Who is it for?

If you already read ten library-related weblogs, subscribe to twenty discussion groups, and scan another thirty or so news sites, this service may not be for you. If you are involved with or interested in libraries but didn't know that there are over a thousand library weblogs, this service is designed specifically for you. It is a way for busy librarians and library fans of all kinds to review items of interest that they may not have heard about otherwise.

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An RSS feed is also available. You can change the number in "days=1" to view a more extended history.

Where are the older links?

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The Library Link of the Day provides you a daily link for keeping up to date with the library profession. Destinations include the latest library news, good reads on the web, and other valuable resources that a library knowledge worker should know about. The link is presented without commentary.

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Changed, Changed Utterly-This article describes ways academic libraries will change due to pandemic

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Changed, Changed Utterly-This article describes ways academic libraries will change due to pandemic

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I chose this article because it is a thoughtful discussion on the ways the pandemic will affect the libraries in the future. The author emphasizes the movement towards digitalization, the end of big subscription deals, the need to know copyright law, and the increase in activism by librarians.

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In early March 2020, COVID-19 blindsided academic libraries. With little time to plan, we closed our library facilities at Clemson University to protect the safety of our patrons and employees and moved to online services only and work from home. Thankfully, years of curating digital content, providing multiple opportunities for research interaction and developing robust search interfaces and web presences served us well during this transition.

With discussions now occurring about reopening campuses, academic libraries face a paradigm shift. Instead of returning to normal, librarians will be returning to a "new normal" -- one where in-person classes and service interactions may be impossible or no longer preferred, where collections in physical format may be a barrier to access, and where collaborative study is shunned in favor of social distancing in buildings that can only safely house half the people they used to. How can we leverage this crisis to create new and innovative collections and services to improve our campus communities?

Below are some of my predictions, based on trend analysis, of how the landscape of academic libraries may change in terms of collections, services, spaces and operations, in hopes they inspire new thinking and continued dialogue.
Collections
The diminishing value of print collections. If the coronavirus crisis has taught us anything, it's how irrelevant our circulating print collections have become. Overnight, most libraries eliminated access due to concerns of virus spread. Strangely, requests for these materials were minimal. How can we make the content in our print collections more accessible and relevant in a post-COVID-19 world?

Mass digitization and access versus archives. For years, research libraries have engaged in "just-in-case" print digitization efforts. With print materials locked behind closed doors, the Internet Archive launched the National Emergency Digital Library, and Hathi Trust opened Emergency Temporary Access to its members. While some authors expressed chagrin at those actions, the result, as Roger Schonfeld points out, is a triumph of long-term planning over the prioritization of immediate needs. Although copyright issues will need to be resolved, additional mass digitization efforts should be undertaken, leveraging collaborative storage agreements currently dedicated to the preservation of print content, to make library print collections more accessible.

E-everything. Unlike our print materials, libraries have seen use of our electronic resources skyrocket. Over the next few years, we will spend more time and money developing our electronic collections. That will be a challenge with diminishing budgets. Libraries will need to develop new strategies for negotiating better deals with publishers and lobby for greater access to streaming media and ebooks, which are more plentiful and cheaply accessible to individuals than they are to libraries. New access models will also need to be developed, and if the recent Macmillan e-book embargo is any indication, publishers will make this challenging.

The end of big deals. The long-term financial implications of COVID-19, as well as years of inflationary increases by publishers, have caused several institutions to rethink multiyear licenses to large journal packages. The University of North Carolina and State University of New York system libraries recently announced that they will be canceling their Elsevier contracts in favor of title-by-title purchasing that will save significant money. Look for more libraries to follow suit and cancel big deals, relying instead on resource-sharing agreements and document delivery services, forcing publishers to develop à la carte access options.

Distinctive collection digitization. The greatest asset of any academic library's collection is its special collections and archives. Ironically, these distinctive materials are often hidden in vaults, only available for in-person access. Archivists have been challenged to provide research materials and services online during the COVID-19 closure. Look for an increase in archives digitization efforts in the coming years, transitioning digitized content from being a method of preservation or preview, to being the primary access point for the collection.

Copyright/fair use challenges. While it justly protects the creators, copyright has always been unreasonably restrictive. And while fair use does provide for educational use of copyrighted materials, most faculty members don't understand it, concerned only with making content available to their students. As courses go online, they'll want greater access to materials to use in their courses. Librarians must provide more copyright education, as well as encourage authors to use creative commons licenses and lobby for more flexible copyright laws.
Services
Self-service models and virtual alternatives. Libraries pride themselves on the in-person customer experience they provide. How do we recalibrate our service desks so they don't become hot zones of traffic and disease spread but continue to provide the high-quality customer service our patrons expect? Will we have service desks at all? Look for more self-service and touchless interactions: self-checkout, curbside pickup, scan and deliver, and materials delivery. Expect also that patrons won't visit us as much as they used to. We'll need to bring our services to them.

Embedded librarianship. Placing librarians physically in the flow of teaching and research efforts has been a trend for years. If courses remain online, deeper integration of both library resources and personnel into course management systems is essential to ensure students gain information literacy skills. Librarians can help faculty members develop course content, co-teach, provide research consultations, hold virtual office hours online and assist in the identification and linking of course content.

The rise of open content ... The quest for a coronavirus cure has emphasized the importance of immediate access to scientific information and data sets. Librarians have been lobbying for years to develop alternative pathways for research dissemination through institutional repositories and support of open-access publishing. This is the moment to advocate for open research and open data in federal grants and to educate faculty members about how to retain their publication rights. Look for libraries to also seek greater control of the research being produced at their institutions, as can be seen in the recent rise of publisher open-access agreements.

... and open educational resources. Libraries have already taken a leadership role in educating faculty on the benefits of creating and adopting open educational resources, free or low-cost textbooks, and learning materials that provide teacher personalization while lowering the cost of student education. OERs will be in demand as faculty seek alternatives to bulky print textbooks. Libraries can also introduce and manage free homework systems and virtual labs to enhance online student engagement.

Support for online teaching. Libraries are perfectly positioned to assist faculty in the development of online courses. Our instructional technology game is strong, having extensive familiarity with tutorial and instructional video creation, course management systems, OER and the like. We already provide students with instruction, technologies and spaces that support digital literacy -- using technology to create and communicate. We need to build further relationships with campus offices of online education, instructional technology and teaching and learning to leverage this expertise and ensure that students and faculty have the skills they need to succeed in this new online environment.

Support for online research. Lab closures and travel restrictions present barriers to faculty research. Libraries can assist researchers by developing online environments for faculty members to collaborate from a distance. Virtual lab environments, built on current voice recognition and data visualization initiatives, can be developed to aid researchers who are unable to conduct physical experiments. Researchers will also need places to deposit data and distribute their research. Libraries can use tools like ORCID to connect preferred gateways like ArXiv with institutional repositories to develop a comprehensive research platform for researchers.

The library website as a virtual front door. Libraries have had to rethink their websites now that they represent the primary path of interaction for patrons. Following usability principles, look for library websites to evolve to be more user friendly, responsive and customizable.

Personalization and the promise of artificial intelligence. Libraries have been reluctant to embrace artificial intelligence surveillance technologies due to our desire to protect the intellectual freedom of our patrons. Yet AI technologies could be harnessed to provide more tailored search results, monitor social distancing and integrate the library into personal assistants.
Spaces
Studied study spaces. New library designs have intentionally emphasized open floor plans and collaborative study space. How will this change in a post-COVID-19 world? Will students prefer, or be forced, to use individualized study spaces? Will group studies be in demand or closed altogether? If there are guidelines on the size of groups, how do we monitor and enforce them?

Removing tables and chairs will be necessary to encourage social distancing. Technology can be harnessed to help patrons avoid clusters of individuals or identify and book open seats in less populated areas. Look for significant changes in space design as libraries study user behavior and seek to respond.

A second, larger challenge exists in serving our populations in our current footprints. Knowing we will have to limit the number of patrons in our buildings, more study spaces will be needed across campus. Taking the lead in managing and coordinating access to these new spaces would allow us to become more integrated across the geography of our institutions.

The disappearance of public technology. Computer labs are disappearing from our campuses, but libraries still have large numbers of public computers and even greater collections of circulating technology. Public computers may become a thing of the past in a post-COVID-19 world. Libraries will encourage students to bring their own devices and provide student work environments -- dual monitors, shareable screens -- that can be tailored to individual needs. New cleaning routines will need to be developed to ensure safe circulation of technology should that continue.
Operations
Employee safety. Procurement of personal protective equipment will be essential for employees on the front lines to be safe and comfortable interacting with patrons. How will patrons react to masked librarians behind Plexiglas shields? Employees may need to work in shifts, making communication and the preservation of community difficult. Office spaces will need to be rethought, too, as open-concept office spaces may give way to preference for enclosure.

Continuous learning and development. The move to work from home proved challenging for many people, as they were asked to quickly learn new collaborative technologies like Zoom and WebEx, Microsoft Teams, Box, and Google Docs. Most embraced this immersive learning experience. Libraries should harness this momentum, providing additional technology training and identifying essential technology skills for employees in this new normal. With travel restricted, online professional development will also be important.

Doing more with less. The economic impact of COVID-19 will be felt for years to come. As colleges struggle to maintain enrollment and reduce expenses, libraries will confront budget reductions, hiring freezes and other spending restrictions. How will we do more with fewer personnel while protecting our acquisitions budget to provide greater online access to content? We will need streamline workflows and retrain existing employees to fill new roles. Student learning and faculty research may be impacted by what are sure to be drastic cuts.

Equity of access. COVID-19 has exacerbated the divide that exists between "essential" workers and those who are provided the privilege of working from home, those with reliable internet access and those without, and those whose income or social status do not afford them quality health care.

Librarian activism. Librarians across the country mobilized on social media to document how libraries were responding to COVID-19, as well as call for closures to ensure employee safety. Look for librarians to activate further around issues such as open access, copyright, worker rights and ending the digital divide.

To thrive in this new reality, libraries will need to be nimbler and more responsive than ever before. We have learned and grown during our time in quarantine. I look forward to our future transformation.

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Academic libraries will change in significant ways as a result of the pandemic (opinion)

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In early March 2020, COVID-19 blindsided academic libraries. With little time to plan, we closed our library facilities at Clemson University to protect the safety of our patrons and employees and moved to online services only and work from home.

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Fall 2020- Using your Libraries During COVID-19

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Fall 2020- Using your Libraries During COVID-19

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I decided on this Research Guide from Mississippi State University Libraries because of the complete list of COVID information and simple yet critical information the libraries detailed to their patrons during the pandemic. I thought offer easy-to-use instructions on what was available and how patrons can stay informed with COVID.

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The University Libraries began the next phase of reopening on Monday, August 3, 2020. This guide provides updated information on Library procedures for the Fall 2020 semester.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, MSU Libraries have provided many services online; provided books, laptops, and hotspots by mail; and assisted students, faculty, and staff with their information needs. Beginning on August 3, the Libraries will open, welcoming students, faculty, and visitors to our facilities.

We've made many changes to our facilities and services to help ensure your safety. These changes include reducing available seating, removing hard-to-disinfect cloth furniture, installing Plexiglass shields at service desks, and distributing hand sanitizer and wipes throughout the building.

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Research Guides: Fall 2020 - Using Your Libraries During COVID-19: Start here

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The University Libraries began the next phase of reopening on Monday, August 3, 2020. This guide provides updated information on Library procedures for the Fall 2020 semester. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, MSU Libraries have provided many services online; provided books, laptops, and hotspots by mail; and assisted students, faculty, and staff with their information needs.

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Handling Library Materials and Collections During a Pandemic

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Handling Library Materials and Collections During a Pandemic

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Responding to Covid-19

Now that libraries have moved to providing their services remotely, we've been working hard to support this transition. Our priorities at the moment are securing funding for more e-books for libraries and negotiating with publishers to allow libraries to deliver reading activities online.

Working with the Reading Agency, so far the following publishers we've contacted have agreed to relax their copyright rules during this time. Full details on their conditions for broadcast can be found below. Please do check this as many publishers are requesting prior notice before you can broadcast online.

The highlighted publishers have now agreed to extend these permissions to 31 December.

Allana Max
Andersen Press
Barrington Stoke (30 Nov only)
Bloomsbury
Bonnier Books
Chicken House
Child's Play
Dial Books
Egmont Publishing
Faber Children's Books
Flying Eye Books / Nobrow Ltd
Hachette Children's Group (31 October only)
Harper Collins UK
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Lantana
Little Tiger
Macmillan Children's Books
Mantra Lingua Limited
Nosy Crow
Otter Barry Books
Penguin Random House / Puffin
Piccadilly Press
Quirk Books
Scholastic
Simon and Schuster
Tiny Owl / Five Quills / Troika / Wacky Bee
Two Hoots
Usborne
Walker Books

We will update this page as soon as we hear back from other publishers.

#LibrariesFromHome

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Responding to Covid-19 | Libraries Connected

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Responding to Covid-19 Now that libraries have moved to providing their services remotely, we've been working hard to support this transition. Our priorities at the moment are securing funding for more e-books for libraries and negotiating with publishers to allow libraries to deliver reading activities online.

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California State Library COVID-19 Information

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California State Library COVID-19 Information

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1. Home

2. Covid-19

Share your COVID stories on the State Library's COVID Diaries website.

The California State Library is committed to serving the California library community, state employees, and residents we serve and is closely monitoring information and guidance offered by California's Department of Public Health, the Centers for Disease Control, and the World Health Organization. We encourage everyone to take preventative steps such as covering your mouth when coughing or sneezing, hand washing, and social distancing to protect themselves and our communities from the spread of COVID-19. You may monitor up-to-date information about the disease in California via the California Department of Public Health and on California's main COVID-19 site. Please also follow information provided by your local public health agencies. The California Library Association and the State Library also offer a resource page for public libraries.

Remote Access to Online Resources for State Government Employees

The State Library is committed to providing relevant online resources for California state government employees that can be accessed remotely on any device. California State employees, state legislative staff, appointed state officials and board members, and officials and employees of the State Court may obtain a State Library card to access subscription databases by applying online. After obtaining a State Library card, state employees may visit the Online Resources web page to browse, select, and use available library resources. State employees will be prompted to login using library borrower card credentials for subscription databases. For additional information, email cslinfo@library.ca.gov.

Library service ideas during COVID

The State Library has released guidance for the re-opening of California libraries for in-person services including currently published library re-opening plans, related public health research, feedback from library directors across the state, and guidance published by the State of California for industries that share like issues.

Browse a database of online and distance friendly programming ideas contributed by public library staff members throughout California, and submit your own ideas!

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Home Covid-19 Share your COVID stories on the State Library's COVID Diaries website. The California State Library is committed to serving the California library community, state employees, and residents we serve and is closely monitoring information and guidance offered by California's Department of Public Health, the Centers for Disease Control, and the World Health Organization.

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Video discusses how COVID-19 will impact academic libraries.

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Sponsored by BibliU

Recorded on 10/01/2020

Posted in eBooks and Electronic Resources in Academic Libraries

Summary:

As colleges and universities continue to grapple with the implications of reopening and the need for more effective remote learning, what will the "new normal" look like for academic libraries? How is the COVID-19 pandemic accelerating existing trends, and what new imperatives has it created for librarians? This panel will bring together librarians, institutional leaders, analysts, and technology developers to discuss the changing role of libraries in an unprecedented and uncertain time, against the backdrop of ongoing digital transformation across the higher education landscape.

Valerie Nye
Library Director Santa Fe Community College

Valerie Nye is the Library Director at Santa Fe Community College and has worked in academic libraries for more than 15 years. She is the editor of the newly published book, Intellectual Freedom Stories: From a Shifting Landscape (ALA, 2020) and is currently serving as secretary on the Amigos Library Services board. Valerie holds a BA in English from Cornell College and MLIS from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

James Wiley
Principal Analyst Eduventures

James has just under 20 years of education technology experience. Prior to joining, James was Executive Vice President of Enterprise Services at the Center for Educational Leadership and Technology (CELT). James lead efforts to develop a network infrastructure redesign project for a Texas school district rollout of instructional tablets and to develop a statewide information security management system for over 400 school districts for the Massachusetts Department of Education. Before CELT, James successfully designed and managed over 15 large-scale education technology engagements, including the New York State Education Portal, the Rhode Island Department of Education Statewide Longitudinal Data System, and the Hawaii Enterprise Application Integration Solution projects. James has a wealth of experience in education technology and helping all stakeholders understand the steps required to successfully implement and manage enterprise systems. At Eduventures, James focuses on helping stakeholders understand the success criteria for technology and on ensuring alignment between their technology applications and organizational goals. James lives in Providence, Rhode Island and holds an MA and a BA in Classics from Cambridge University, a Certificat d'Enseignant in Sociology from L'Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris, and a BA in Philosophy, Greek and Latin from Lehman College, The City University of New York.

Lindsay McKenzie
Technology Reporter Inside Higher Ed

Lindsay McKenzie is a technology reporter for Inside Higher Ed, where she covers all things technology, higher education and science-related. Before joining Inside Higher Ed, Lindsay was a researcher at The Economist Intelligence Unit (The EIU) and a breaking news reporter for The Chronicle of Higher Education. She has an M.A. in Science Journalism from City, University of London.

Dave Sherwood
CEO and Co-Founder BibliU

Dave Sherwood is the CEO and Co-Founder of BibliU. First as an undergraduate in Western Australia, and then as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, Dave had a pressing question: why are textbooks so expensive and unintuitive? Co-founding BibliU six years ago, Dave and his team have since signed over 2000 academic publishers and 140 universities across the globe with this simple message: when it comes to learning, there has to be a better, more affordable, and more accessible way of doing things.

Related Posts

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Equity and Access in the Age of COVID-19: How Academic Libraries Can Build a Better Digital Content Strategy - Choice 360

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Sponsored by BibliU Recorded on 10/01/2020 Posted in eBooks and Electronic Resources in Academic Libraries As colleges and universities continue to grapple with the implications of reopening and the need for more effective remote learning, what will the "new normal" look like for academic libraries?

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This video covers some creative ways that the California Community Colleges are dealing with the pandemic.  More articles about the CCC and Covid response can be found here https://ccleague.org/novel-coronavirus-2019-covid-19/recent-news

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Inside California Education
Season 3 Episode 13 | 26m 46s |

Despite the pandemic, California's community colleges are still teaching students and enabling them to help others: Bay Area colleges using 3D printers to make face shields and masks. An acclaimed cooking program in Los Angeles switched to online learning. Sacramento colleges are providing emergency financial aid to students. A COVID-19 testing center on a Lake Tahoe campus.

Aired: 07/15/20

Rating: NR

Problems Playing Video? Report a Problem |

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Inside California Education | Community Colleges: Learning and Helping During the Pandemic | Season 3 | Episode 13

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Inside California Education Season 3 Episode 13 | 26m 46s | Despite the pandemic, California's community colleges are still teaching students and enabling them to help others: Bay Area colleges using 3D printers to make face shields and masks. An acclaimed cooking program in Los Angeles switched to online learning.

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Seattle Public Library - Strategic Direction

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Seattle Public Library - Strategic Direction

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Carlotta Walker