{"id":3021,"date":"2020-08-18T13:03:17","date_gmt":"2020-08-18T13:03:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/thepreservationlab\/?p=3021"},"modified":"2020-12-15T19:45:12","modified_gmt":"2020-12-15T19:45:12","slug":"returning-to-the-lab","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/thepreservationlab\/2020\/08\/returning-to-the-lab","title":{"rendered":"Returning to the Lab"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After nearly 5 months of working from home, Preservation Lab staff are finally returning to the Lab and to UC\u2019s campus in a very safe and limited way.  In mid-March, like most of the country, UC Libraries and the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library shut down, forcing staff from both institutions to pivot and begin working remotely.  After many months of webinars, research, model making, box making, some general collections treatment, and a whole lot of Microsoft Teams meetings and town halls, both institutions are beginning to open back up and offer some services.  Luckily for the Lab staff, throughout this period of solely remote work, our UCL co-manager and Preservation Librarian, Holly, would make weekly or bi-weekly runs to the Lab to pick up materials we might need while working from home.  We would then schedule our contact-free pick up of requested materials with her.  The whole process ran rather smoothly and got us by for many, many months. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the Lab is located on UC\u2019s campus, in Langsam Library, the Lab follows UC\u2019s procedures for Returning to Campus<\/a>.  The preparation for returning to the Lab involved a workplace assessment of the space, a phased plan for returning to the Lab (which was vetted and approved), mandatory COVID-19 training, daily wellness checks, mandatory facial coverings, and social distancing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Returning
Jessica and Catarina, all masked up, during one of their first shifts in the Lab.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Preservation Lab\u2019s plan to return includes the use of a cohort system to reduce exposure and better aid in contact tracing, if needed in the future.  For the month of August, two cohorts would go back for 3 to 3 \u00bd hour shifts, one day a week.  For example, cohort #1 consists of Catarina and myself while cohort #2 consists of Kasie and Holly.  Cohort #1 goes into the Lab on Monday mornings, while cohort #2 goes in Friday mornings.  While working in the Lab, our focus is on production and treatment \u2013 this means that we are either actively treating special collections items or working to evaluate, measure or prep materials to take home for treatment or housing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n