COVID-19 Pandemic

We compiled the following resources to assist conservators and collections care professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. As always, we advise you to follow the advice of federal, state, and local public health officials.

Collection Care

General

• #covidcollectionscare
  Twitter hashtag started by the National Endowment for the Humanities used “for resources and information regarding what cultural heritage practitioners can do to mitigate and secure collections during pandemic for all aspects of collection care."

• Collections Care in the Age of COVID-19 Facebook Live event
  Recording of a Facebook Live event from FAIC's Connecting to Collections Care initiative held on April 2, 2020, in which participants posed questions to a panel that included preservation librarians, conservators, and other experts.

• Disinfecting Cultural Resources, Personal Protective Equipment, and Re-Entry to Cultural Sites
  Three videos (Spanish translation available) from the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training guiding staff at cultural sites on disinfecting, selecting and wearing PPE, and how to re-open sites.

• Handling Library Materials and Collections During a Pandemic
  Compilation of resources from the American Library Association meant to assist libraries, institutions, and archives during a pandemic.

Cleaning

• MNHS Workplace Historic Properties Enhanced Cleaning Guidance for COVID-19 PDF
  Example of a cleaning plan from the Minnesota Historical Society.

• The Impact of Hand Sanitizers on Collection Materials
  Summary of outcomes from research done at the Library of Congress on deterioration caused by hand sanitizer.

• Disinfecting Books and Other Collections
  Technical leaflet  on disinfecting collections from the Northeast Document Conservation Center.

• Isolating, Disinfecting, and Cleaning Historic Materials
  Transcripted video presentation from the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training explaining cleaning methods for historic materials.

• Best Practices for Cleaning Play and Learn Spaces
  Protocols from the Association for Library Service to Children for cleaning children’s spaces. Could also be applied to any heavily touched surfaces of your museum.

Emergency Plans/Disaster Preparedness

• Public Health Emergencies
  A well-curated resource from COSTEP Massachusetts on many aspects of cultural heritage emergency management including vetted guidance on caring for collections.
• Managing Your Museum's Pandemic Response: Activating Your Emergency Response PDF
  A guide to implanting your emergency plan during a pandemic from the Alberta Museums Association.

Preparing an Institution for Closure or Reopening

• Closing a Museum for the Winter
  Guide from the Canadian Conservation Institute that includes a checklist for closing a museum for an extended period of time. 
• Long-Term Closure Re-Entry Checklist for Cultural Institutions and Collections Care Stewards
  Checklist template, developed by Rebecca Kennedy, Curae Collections Care, LLC, and Anne Young, Newfields, for staff and public re-entry into an institution following long-term closure.
• Reopening Museums: A Planning Tool PDF
  Checklist of ideas developed by Adrian Ellis, AEA Consulting and Global Cultural Districts Network, and András Szántó, András Szántó LLC, for museums to consider when re-opening, including considerations for staff safety and mental health.
• REALM Project
  Our partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services, OCLC (a non-profit global library cooperative), and Battelle (a non-profit scientific research organization) to evaluate and develop guidelines for reopening collections on the safe handling of materials, training, and cleaning.
• Reopening: Guidance for Museums and Collecting Institutions
  Created by the Museum & Cultural Heritage Industry Working Group of the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) and part of the AIHA's Back to Work Safely initiative, focused on addressing the unique issues associated with cultural heritage collections. This resource will be updated as conditions and regulations change and with feedback from organizations as they begin to reopen.

Funding

• NEH CARES: Cultural Organization Grants
  Program offers up to $300,000 grants to stabilize humanities organizations affected by coronavirus nationwide.

Individuals & Small Businesses

Health & Safety

• Facemasks and Virus Protection PDF
  Explanation of our Health & Safety Committee's recommendation against making your own face mask or wear a surgical face mask to protect yourself against coronavirus infection.

• CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Resources

• Respiratory Protection During Outbreaks: Respirators versus Surgical Masks (blog)
• How to Protect Yourself and Others
• Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Home

• Back to Work Safely
  Site sponsored by AIHA that features expert, industry-specific guidance for both businesses and consumers to safely re-open and re-engage as they emerge from the COVID-19 quarantines.

• The links offer specific, easy-to-follow, science-based recommendations for limiting the transmission of the coronavirus while operating a wide variety of businesses, including restaurants, retail outlets, and hair and nail salons.
• These guidelines were developed for those smaller business that don't have readily available occupational health and safety resources.
• We encourage employers, employees, and customers to carefully read and implement as many of the recommendations contained in the guidance document provided for your industry as possible.

Small Business Assistance

• Economic Injury Disaster Loan
  The U.S. Small Business Administration is making low interest loans, up to $2 million dollars, available to nonprofits and small businesses to recover from economic injury from coronavirus.

• COVID-19 Resources Blog Post
  Post from our blog with information to connect you to small business assistance, mental health support, information about unemployment benefits, and volunteer opportunities.

RESEARCH & DISCOVERY

• Online Resources for Conservation Research Blog Post
  Post from our blog that details the resources we support to further the exchange of knowledge in the field.

• Scholarly Research Related to COVID-19
  Publisher Taylor & Francis provides free access and expedited online publishing of scholarly research related to COVID-19.