General safety guidelines to take into consideration while planning to reopen libraries during the covid19 pandemic

1. Reopening Libraries: A webinar to help you
get back to work safely
CARLA CHALHOUB, HEAD OF ACCESS SERVICES / SOCIAL SCIENCES SUBJECT
LIBRARIAN, AUB LIBRARIES
CENDRELLA HABRE, FORMER UNIVERSITY LIBRARIAN, LAU LIBRARIES
Thursday June 11, 2020

2. It’s a new world
It’s a different future

3. New terminologies
PANDEMIC,
LOCKDOWN, SUPER
SPREADER,TESTING,
ANTIBODIES,
VENTILATORS, PPE,
MASKS, SHIELDS,
GLOVES, SANITIZERS,
CONTACT TRACINGS,
QUARANTINE, 14
CDC, WHO, SOCIAL
DISTANCING,
CURBSIDE PICKUP,
CURBSIDE DELIVERY,
TOUCHLESS/CONTAC
‫جائحة‬

4. Corona in Fashion

5. Vision
Strategic planning
(opening phases)
Assessment plan
Safety Guidelines
Communications
plan
INSTITUTION’S
GUIDELINES
Pandemic Planning
Committee

6. The Library as a Facility
 Entrance (One entrance only)
 Doors (opened at all times)
 Security gates (remove revolving doors)
 Ventilation (windows vs. ventilation system)
 Lounge areas (locked or one person/sofa)
 Furniture (chairs and tables (2 persons/table only))
 Vending machines should be inaccessible
 Bathrooms (locked at all times to be opened by keys)
 Group study rooms (one single person only)
 Conference/Meeting rooms (locked or social distancing layout)
 Gardens (locked)
 Multiple floors (if possible, lock all floors except for one)
 Plexiglass should be installed at all public service areas/counters
 Signage everywhere

9. IT Equipment
 PCs (disable or one/table with social distancing measures
provided cleaning is available)
 Number of hours for using PCs should be minimized (1 hour)
 Laptops should be widely used instead (easier to clean)
 Selfcheck out (disable provided cleaning is available at all times)
 Remove all printers (instead allow click and scan)
 Wifi off (some)
Some libraries are hiring “Computer Cleaners”

10. Shelves and Books
 Browsing open shelves is very risky (unless clear signage)
 Inaccessible is preferable.
 “We may need to quarantine our books' when libraries reopen”,
New York Public Library CEO says
 Majority is going for 72 hours quarantine (no clear guidelines)

12. Staff/Offices
 Masks
 Temperature
 Social Distancing (6 feet = about 2 meters apart)
 Washing hands/Sanitizers
 No face-to-face meetings or visits
 Kitchen (locked). Staff should eat at their desks
 Plexiglass separators
 Staff should not report to work all at once. Continue
working from home as it is a great alternative

13. Patrons
 Masks
 Temperature
 Social Distancing (6 feet = about 2 meters apart)
 Washing hands/Sanitizers
 Number of patrons using the library at one time
should be based on your reopening stages
(examples Pharmacies and Supermarkets)
23% of the total population (CDC)

14. Circulation
Waive overdue fees
Extend due dates
Most have applied a reservations system:
pre-arranged visits to the library
Flexible library system to make necessary
changes as quickly as possible

15. Bremen Public Library (Germany)
Stage 1

16. Time to
Innovate

17. Key Resources
ACHA Guidelines
Association of College and Research
Libraries (ACRL)
IFLA
CDC guidelines for school libraries
PLA guidelines for public libraries
WHO

18. Thank you
Stay Safe
&
Save Lives