Christine (& colleagues),
Apologies for replying late to this discussion. In Haverford's
acquisitions department, we have a vague policy of letting things sit for
24 hours, but the real factor for me in considering this issue (and related
ones such as using a workstation after another person has done so) is not
asking my staff to do something they aren't comfortable with. I see that a
few of our colleagues are dismissive of the risk of transmission from
touching, and I confess that's how I act in my own personal life for the
most part, but my Haverford colleagues and I have tried to set the
guidelines so no one feels like they are being asked to handle materials or
do anything else sooner than they are comfortable with. For the most part,
as we pass an item from, say, acquisitions to cataloging, we write the date
last handled on the paperwork, and the next person has the choice to wait a
day or so or to handle it right away.
I hope these thoughts are helpful to you or to anyone else thinking about
this issue.
Mike Persick
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike Persick | Head of Acquisitions & Serials
Haverford College Library | 370 Lancaster Ave., Haverford, PA 19041
mpersick_at_haverford.edu | pronouns: he/him/his
On Tue, Mar 2, 2021 at 3:28 PM Christine Fischer <acqnet_at_lists.ala.org>
wrote:
> Thanks to everyone who has replied. This information has been very
> helpful. We will use it when we talk with our staff.
>
> Feel free to continue the conversation, but I definitely have enough
> comments to be useful for my purposes!
>
> Take care.
> Christine
>
> On Tue, Mar 2, 2021 at 2:52 PM Tricia Karlin <tkarlin_at_lawrence.lib.ks.us>
> wrote:
>
>> We don't quarantine returned materials nor new accessions.
>>
>> It might be helpful to ask staff (in a genuinely open way) to consider
>> what else they are quarantining in their daily lives. Are they
>> quarantining their groceries? Their personal mail? That helped me put the
>> issue in perspective.
>>
>> You could also discuss recent articles that explain that fomite
>> transmission is not understood to be the primary way the virus spreads. We
>> found these articles very helpful when talking about fomite transmission
>> risks with staff.
>>
>> Wired magazine article October 28 It's time to talk about COVID-19 and
>> surfaces again
>> <https://www.wired.com/story/its-time-to-talk-about-covid-19-and-surfaces-again/> *
>> E**xcellent, 'layman's terms' summary of new research that has been done
>> that de-emphasizes concern about contracting the virus from surfaces. *
>>
>> NY Times article Nov 18 The coronavirus is airborne indoors. Why are
>> we still scrubbing surfaces?
>> <https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/18/world/asia/covid-cleaning.html>
>>
>> Good luck!
>> Tricia
>>
>>
>>
>> *Tricia Karlin*
>> she/her/hers
>> *Collections + Technology Manager*
>> Lawrence Public Library
>> 707 Vermont St.
>> Lawrence, KS 66044
>> 785-843-3833 x.109
>>
>>
>> On Tue, Mar 2, 2021 at 12:57 PM Jennifer Williams <
>> Jennifer.Williams_at_athens.edu> wrote:
>>
>>> This is what we are doing as well. Three days for returns from patrons,
>>> no quarantine for new materials in acquisitions.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Jennifer Williams
>>>
>>> Acquisitions & Collection Development Librarian
>>>
>>> Assistant Librarian, Kares Library
>>>
>>> 300 North Beaty Street
>>>
>>> Athens, Alabama 35611
>>>
>>> Office: 256-216-6667
>>>
>>> She/Her
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *From:* acqnet-request_at_lists.ala.org <acqnet-request_at_lists.ala.org> *On
>>> Behalf Of *"Koger, Victoria"
>>> *Sent:* Tuesday, March 2, 2021 12:39 PM
>>> *To:* acqnet_at_lists.ala.org
>>> *Subject:* [EXT] RE: [ALCTS-acqnet] Quarantining incoming shipments
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *CAUTION:** Email originated from outside of Athens State!*
>>>
>>> I think here at Wichita State University circulation is quarantining
>>> returned materials (3 days) but acquisitions is not. Current
>>> recommendations are wash your hands and don’t worry about surfaces in
>>> relation to COVID. The particles do not live long on surfaces but you do
>>> have to take into account the comfort level of your staff.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Victoria Koger
>>>
>>> Coordinator of Collection Acquisitions and Assistant Professor
>>>
>>> Wichita State University Libraries
>>>
>>> 1845 Fairmount Street, Wichita, KS 67260-0068
>>>
>>> (316)978-5792
>>>
>>> library.acquisitions_at_wichita.edu
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *From:* acqnet-request_at_lists.ala.org <acqnet-request_at_lists.ala.org> *On
>>> Behalf Of *Stacey Marien
>>> *Sent:* Tuesday, March 2, 2021 11:44 AM
>>> *To:* acqnet_at_lists.ala.org
>>> *Subject:* Re: [ALCTS-acqnet] Quarantining incoming shipments
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *CAUTION:* This email originated from outside of Wichita State
>>> University. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the
>>> sender and know the content is safe.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> My mantra has been from the very beginning that there are no documented
>>> cases of COVID from touching anything. Not one single case. The REALM
>>> Project has nothing to do with actually catching the virus - just because a
>>> virus lives on a book for a certain period of time, does not mean that
>>> virus is going to somehow make it from that exact area on the book, under
>>> your mask and into your nose. Again, there are no documented cases of
>>> covid due to touching anything. Wash your hands.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> In my Acq depart, we are not quarantining anything and haven't been
>>> since we went back to the office in Aug. the mail and boxes come in, I
>>> unpack them and stage them and everyone works on the material as usual.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> We are located off site. The main library is quarantining returned
>>> books and supplies at a certain level - but I have no input into that
>>> decision.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Stacey
>>>
>>> Stacey Marien
>>> Acquisitions Librarian
>>>
>>> American University
>>>
>>> 4801 Massachusetts Ave, NW
>>>
>>> Library Technical Services
>>>
>>> Spring Valley – Room 148
>>>
>>> Washington, DC 20016
>>> smarien_at_american.edu
>>> 202-885-3842
>>> orcid.org/0000-0003-2608-4559
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Tue, Mar 2, 2021 at 12:33 PM Christine Fischer <acqnet_at_lists.ala.org>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> Hello. How long are you placing shipping boxes and envelopes in
>>> quarantine before your acquisitions staff unload the materials to begin the
>>> receiving/invoicing process? Do you also quarantine them once unboxed? I
>>> know that the REALM Project <https://www.oclc.org/realm/home.html> is
>>> offering data, but I would like a practical recommendation that seems to be
>>> working in libraries.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> We have staff who are very concerned about the possibility of infection
>>> from COVID-19.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Thanks so much.
>>>
>>> Christine
>>>
>>> --
>>>
>>> Christine Fischer
>>> Head of Technical Services
>>> University Libraries, UNC Greensboro
>>> P.O. Box 26170
>>> Greensboro NC 27402-6170
>>>
>>> Pronouns: she/her/hers
>>>
>>> Email: cmfische_at_uncg.edu
>>>
>>> Phone: 336.256.1193
>>>
>>> I acknowledge that UNC Greensboro is located on the traditional lands of
>>> the Keyauwee and Saura Nations. (Why are land acknowledgments important?
>>> <https://nativegov.org/a-guide-to-indigenous-land-acknowledgment/>)
>>>
>>>
>>>
>
> --
> Christine Fischer
> Head of Technical Services
> University Libraries, UNC Greensboro
> P.O. Box 26170
> Greensboro NC 27402-6170
> Pronouns: she/her/hers
> Email: cmfische_at_uncg.edu
> Phone: 336.256.1193
> I acknowledge that UNC Greensboro is located on the traditional lands of
> the Keyauwee and Saura Nations. (Why are land acknowledgments important?
> <https://nativegov.org/a-guide-to-indigenous-land-acknowledgment/>)
>
>
>
Received on Mon Mar 08 2021 - 09:30:57 EST