Resources for Disinfecting and Quarantining Potentially Contaminated Library Materials

 

NOTE: ALA is currently recommending that all libraries close to the public:

http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2020/03/ala-executive-board-recommends-closing-libraries-public

 

1. Preliminary research suggests that the COVID-19 virus can only survive on surfaces for 2-3 days, and on paper/cardboard for 24 hours. So, closing the libraries, and allowing collections to remain untouched in quarantine should be an effective method of disinfecting library collection materials. https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.09.20033217v1.full.pdf

 

2. The COSTEP MA page on the current health emergency offers resources that librarians will find helpful: https://mblc.state.ma.us/costepma/index.php/cultural-institutions/mitigation/public-health-emergencies/

 

3. Providing gloves or other personal protective equipment to staff members handling books (and changing gloves regularly), can keep staff safe if they are onsite and shifting books from book drops to shelves for quarantine.

 

4. Many institutions have said they are using a disinfection system such as Clorox 360 to clean their spaces. This specific system is NOT recommended for use with paper based collections. The guidelines from Clorox are that all paper should be removed from areas prior to application https://www.cloroxpro.com/products/clorox/total-360/

 

5. The Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) has provided recommendations on disinfecting circulating books in library collections.

http://www.ala.org/tools/sites/ala.org.tools/files/content/NEDCC%20recommendations%20for%20disinfecting%20books_Mar2020-converted.pdf

 

6. The CDC has a page offering Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers, which includes advice on keeping workspaces clean and how to guide employees towards practicing good respiratory etiquette and hand hygiene. They also offer properties of an ideal disinfectant.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/guidance-business-response.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fspecific-groups%2Fguidance-business-response.html

 

https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/disinfection/tables/table2.html

 

7. Tips for Little Free Libraries: https://littlefreelibrary.org/best-practices-at-little-free-libraries-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/

 

ALA COVID-19 Resources Page http://www.ala.org/tools/atoz/pandemic-preparedness.