Research briefing update

An updated briefing, prepared by Battelle, summarizes research available on vaccines, variants, and ventilation. Among the new findings: 

• Vaccines: People 18 years and older who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine should receive a booster shot at least two months after their primary vaccine dose.
• Ventilation: A study analyzing the impact of humidification on SARS-CoV-2 transmission risk found that humidifying a space to 40-60% relative humidity is unlikely to significantly reduce transmission risk.
• Variants: One study of breakthrough infections with the delta variant among vaccinated healthcare workers found these infections were driven by social gatherings and household exposures where people were largely unmasked.

View the briefing

An academic librarian shares how staff adapted to meet student needs

Jon Oakes is the technology labs coordinator for the San Jose State University Library, a combined public library and university library located in downtown San Jose, California. Jon shares his experiences during the pandemic, including adapting services to virtual, developing new skills, and connecting students with the library in a changed campus environment.

Read the article

Vaccines & US: Community Health and Young People

To support the recent authorization of vaccines for young people, 5-11 years old, the Vaccines & US project has collected materials specifically about young people and the COVID-19 pandemic in a special section to help:

• Discuss COVID-19 and vaccination with young children and teens
• Young people cope with pandemic related anxiety
• Navigate COVID-19 information and disinformation and debunk some common myths

All of the material can be freely used by library/museum/archival staff and the general public.

Vaccines & US is a project led by the Smithsonian Institution that provides science-based information and resource about COVID-19 and addresses vaccine hesitancy.

Learn more and apply