Libraries, stop quarantine for reference books

Books that, in libraries, are made available for onsite reference should no longer remain unavailable due to “quarantine.” This is specified in the dpcm of August 7, 2020, which extends the measures to contain the Covid-19 contagion until next September 7. Annex 9, “Guidelines for the Reopening of Economic and Productive Activities of the Conference of Regions and Autonomous Provinces of June 11, 2020,” reiterates the need for of isolation for books that are lent (“Regarding the treatment of documentary funds and book collections, since they cannot be subjected to disinfection procedures since they are harmful to them, please refer to the procedures for storing them in isolation after their use.”), but it is also stressed that this provision does not apply to books in consultation: “It is clarified,” the text reads, “that preventive isolation of library and archive collections is understood to be limited to materials that come from lending to users and therefore from an uncontrolled external flow, and therefore does not apply to in-house consultation, which must always take place after hand sanitization.”

This is good news for library users, in a very difficult summer indeed for the sector (for both workers and readers). Many institutions, in fact, were also applying the mandatory quarantine to books in consultation: an absurdity, if one thinks that this measure was not envisaged for books in libraries instead. The dpcm therefore intervenes to remedy a distortion that had made access to books much more difficult: now, exactly as in bookstores, it will be enough to sanitize one’s hands before touching the volumes.

Libraries, stop quarantine for reference books

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.