Germs in the Library: Responding to and Preparing for COVID-19, the Flu or a Bad Cold Going Ground

 ATTENTION: NFLS MEMBER LIBRARIES
The BEST way to protect staff and patrons is to wash your hands, cover your coughs and stay home if you're sick.

Sick Staff:

• Staff often come to work even when sick because they don't want to let down their coworkers. However, talk to your staff about changing the definition of conscientiousness to mean staying home and not spreading germs to their coworkers or to patrons.
• If an employee comes to work sick, isolate them from others and send them home.
• If staff have a fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle aches or other symptoms recommend they stay home until they are truly symptom free for at least 24 hours. Symptom free means symptoms are not just masked by cold medicine.

Prevention Measures:

• Staff should wipe down keyboards and phones at all shift changes, and in between as needed. Staff should be allowed to use gloves if they wish to do so.
• Wipe down all high touch points every night, such as doors, table tops, keyboards and phones with a hospital grade cleaner.
• Wipe down any devices such as laptops when they are returned by a patron.
• Put out Kleenex, antibacterial wipes and sanitizing lotion for staff and patrons to use.
• Remind caregivers to skip storytime if they or the child is ill.
• Create a “Yucky” basket for parents to place toys or books kids chewed or sneezed on to be cleaned by staff.
• Remind patrons to stay home and access library resources online.

 
Create Policies on Illness and/or Pandemic Preparedness

• The DPI page regarding pandemics has been updated. You can find it at https://dpi.wi.gov/pld/boards-directors/disaster-planning.
• The site provides issues to consider when developing individual library policies on illness and/or pandemic prevention and preparedness.
• Public libraries can work with their municipalities to determine what services the library might be expected to provide in the event of pandemic outbreak in the community.
• The library director and board can work with local health officials to determine whether it is appropriate to keep the library open, restrict areas where a higher density of people congregate, or to limit distribution of materials to a single pick-up location.
• Notify NFLS of any unscheduled closings of your library.

 
Be assured that NFLS is continuing to monitor the situation and will provide updates with any critical information as it arises. In the meantime, please know that the safety and well-being of our staff, members, and community are of the greatest importance to us. We have put tools in place to maintain operations and continue to provide support for our member libraries in the event that our physical location here in Green Bay becomes restricted. We will maintain ongoing communication throughout any eventuality.

Sincerely,
Nicolet Federated Library System Staff