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