Returning to Service: Libraries and COVID-19

With various counties and states operating under a range of public health orders, many directors and managers continue to adapt, seeking a return to “normal” in the wake of various waves of COVID-19. CLiC’s guides try to answer a variety of questions:

“As we start to re-open our buildings, how can we do this safely?”

“What’s the potential for material (returned by patrons, or transported by the statewide courier) to be ‘infected’ with COVID-19?”

“What HR considerations are involved with a return to service?”

Guide 1: “Libraries Returning to Service and COVID-19” – V2.0 Dec 1, 2020. First published Apr 5, this updated short guide features four sections:

  • Protect Your Employees and Volunteers
  • Deep Clean Your Library
  • Handle Materials Safely
  • Variables Out of Your Control

Guide 2: “Human Resources Q&A: Libraries and COVID-19” – V1.0 Apr 29, 2020. This 5-page guide features a handful of Q&A-style sections involving the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and other nuanced HR considerations.

We’ll update these guides sporadically as new information emerges.

Libraries Under Attack

Demanding A Ban on Digital ContentSchools and libraries possess the expertise and responsibility to choose, license/buy and manage digital content useful to their local communities.

Some individuals in Colorado are attacking libraries and librarians for doing that work and are claiming that databases and e-book collections are full of pornography. Previously these individuals have demanded a statewide ban of all databases and certain e-book products. Lately, the demands are for schools and libraries to discontinue their licenses to products from EBSCO, Gale/Cengage, Proquest, Overdrive and other library vendors.

This 2024 updated guide “Demanding a Ban on Digital Content: A Guide for Understanding Challenges to the Electronic Resources in Your Library or School” will help the reader better understand these claims. It offers practical information, strategies and facts for libraries and schools to use in discussing this topic with their local communities.

If you have any questions, please Contact Us.

Related: CLiC Dropped from Lawsuit

Keywords: Guide, Toolkit, Banning, Censorship, Freedom to Read, Intellectual Freedom