REopening
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Toolkit resources to support reopening practices for museum staff are available to download at the links below.
Bookmark this page and check back often as additional resources will be available soon.
Updated: 5 February 2021
This guide synthesizes resources from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how to clean and disinfect public spaces. In addition to social distancing, practicing prevention hygiene, and following public health guidelines, reducing the risk of exposure to COVID-19 by cleaning and disinfecting can be an important part of reopening your facility.
Review the scope of the REALM project, the "known and unknowns" about COVID-19, and materials which have been tested by the project and are relevant to museums.
Updated: 17 December 2020
Get an inside look at REALM goals, roles, and activities as told by project team members from IMLS, OCLC, and Battelle.
Updated: 17 December 2020
New REALM toolkit resources are available to help support the interpretation and use of REALM laboratory research. These downloadable visual aids show test results by material type and usage, including: surfaces, books and paper, media and plastics.
Updated: 19 November 2020
The Phase 2 literature review analyzed and summarized findings from available scientific literature on SARS-CoV-2 from mid-May through mid-August 2020. This review focused on studies of how the virus is spread, virus attenuation on commonly found materials, and effectiveness of prevention and decontamination measures.
Updated: 19 November 2020
Links to information about disinfection and cleaning of materials, as well as illustrative examples of documented protocols and procedures. Also included is a recorded presentation from the Northeast Document Conservation Center on how they are approaching disinfection of paper-based collections in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Updated: 19 November 2020
A visual aid that compiles the test results published by the REALM project. The data currently includes the results of Tests 1-6 and will be updated as new results are available.
Updated: 19 November 2020
While working toward resuming operations and services to the public, many factors and resources (national, state, local) can inform local decision-making. This list of considerations offers a starting point and includes links to guides and additional information.
Updated: 19 November 2020
An overview of the project purpose, what we know about COVID-19, as well as the "known unknowns," and the testing process being used for REALM.
Updated: 22 October 2020
Chris Carron, Director of Collections at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis, and a member of the REALM Operations Working Group, participated in a project webinar on October 8, 2020. In this video, Chris shares how the museum's policies and procedures have evolved in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.