(via Kris Johnson, Montana State University)
Registration is now open for the webinar “To Open or Not Open: Academic Library Building Management and Decision-making During a Pandemic”, which will take place on Wednesday, December 16, from 1:00 to 2:00 PM CDT. A description of the webinar is below.
Closing, opening, and/or reopening academic libraries during a pandemic requires library decision-makers to take on new roles, learn new things, and apply new knowledge to decision making for their facilities and employees. These decision-makers find themselves in need of real-time information – not only about their own institution’s practices, but also how other libraries are responding. Some are thrust into leadership positions on their own campuses. Others struggle for guidance.
This webinar will present strategies used on several campuses during COVID-19 to manage risk in the face of uncertainty – on campuses that have reopened their libraries. The presenters will discuss the resources referenced, experts engaged, processes undertaken both external and internal to the library to support the decision to reopen, preparations to reopen and staying open. The architect on the panel will also explain COVID-19 planning and design strategies for campus learning environments, including campus-specific variables that may impact strategies as well as how these planning strategies may be applied to library environments.
This academic library-specific discussion is meant to help participants in their own planning, synthesizing generalized information that is out there, and making it applicable to libraries, considering space, building systems, health protocols, custodial support, security, staff and student employee safety and other topics. The webinar isn’t intended as best practices, more of a guide to decision-making and planning, combined with some lessons learned and a primer for the future.
For additional information, and to register, please go here. Direct any questions to Kris Johnson, Montana State University, at krisjohnson@montana.edu.