Item quarantining
For the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, the RVCC library is handling possible contamination of returned books and DVDs by quarantining these items in a non-stacked configuration in a secure location for 5 days. Library staff, wearing necessary PPE, will remove items from book drops and place them in a quarantined location away from library staff and users.
Due to the quarantine period, items will not be available to check out for 5 days after they have been returned by the previous user.
The 5 day period of time was arrived at based on testing done by trusted nonprofit library organization OCLC and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, an independent federal government agency, in collaboration with Battelle, a nonprofit science and technology development company.
Test results show that for material types that may be found in library items, such as paper and glossy pages, hard and soft book covers, and plastic DVD cases and DVDs, the SARS-CoV-2 was not detectable after 5 days at standard room temperature.
For more information about the tests, please see Reopening Archives, Libraries, and Museums (REALM) Information Hub: A COVID-19 Research Project.