REopening Archives, Libraries and Museums (REALM): Lessons Learned and Planning for the Future

As the COVID-19 pandemic has evolved, there have been considerable changes in the operations of archives, libraries and museums. How has the experience impacted your short and long-term planning approach? Will you think differently about future operational challenges? From isolating and handling materials, to developing staff and visitor policies, the impacts have been far-reaching and required considerable adaptability and communication. This session will provide the opportunity to hear from members of the REopening Archives, Libraries and Museums (REALM) project team, and the Northeast Document Conservation Center, as well as from your colleagues with similar experiences. The panelists will share information about the REALM project, including freely available resources to support local decision-making.

REopening Archives, Libraries, and Museums (REALM) is a research project conducted by OCLC, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and Battelle to produce and distribute science-based COVID-19 information that can aid local decision making regarding operations of archives, libraries, and museums.

This program will use the Zoom webinars platform. Automatic captioning provided.

Presenters

Bexx Caswell-Olson, Director of Book Conservation, Northeast Document Conservation Center; Anna Musun-Miller, REALM Toolkit Editor, Museums, OCLC; and Kendra Morgan, Senior Program Manager, OCLC

Bexx Caswell-Olson, Director of Book Conservation, Northeast Document Conservation Center

Bexx Caswell-Olson is the Director of Book Conservation at the Northeast Document Conservation Center, where she manages a team of talented book conservators.  She is a Professional Associate of the American Institute for Conservation and the President of the Guild of Book Workers.

Anna Musun-Miller, REALM Toolkit Editor, Museums, OCLC

During her 14-year museum career, Anna Musun-Miller has worked for cultural attractions large and small, covering topics from wildlife to the Wild West. She is focused on providing practical, useful resources for museum staff in her role as Toolkit Editor, Museums for the REALM project.

Kendra Morgan, Senior Program Manager, OCLC

Kendra Morgan is a senior program manager at OCLC, supporting the REopening Archives, Libraries and Museums (REALM) project. She is particularly interested in the role libraries and museums play in supporting healthy communities, and has managed a number of grant-funded programs that address those issues.