[Libs-Or] Contract tracing and libraries? And Free contact tracer training for anyone in the world

Wed May 13 16:28:43 PDT 2020

Contact tracing is a new phenomenon, of course.  Chances are it will be with us in some form, possibly for a long time.  

Whether or not libraries formally get involved, it would be interesting and useful for library people to get involved on the ground floor for a few reasons.  With that in mind, I’ve registered for the online line, self-paced course: 

1.       The course content seems to have and is likely to continue to evolve solid information about Covid-19 (and anything that succeeds it).  

2.       I expect that the course provider will be open to feedback, so those who are participating can have a pathway to influencing the ethics and developing methodology (when I registered this morning—they ask for occupation-- it seems I am the only librarian of over 35,000 registered at that time.)  Having librarians be on the ground floor seems like a good idea and an opportunity, the more the better.  

3.       I really love the idea of training “an army” of people, across disciplines, countries, educational and socioeconomic lines, to be effective listeners: would that everyone in the world would sign up for that:).

Additionally and as a practical matter, contact tracing might afford a work supplement for librarians who may experience job loss or furloughs; e.g. New York is going to be hiring 4,000 for starters and they could be from anywhere in the world.  Also, for those wishing to, it is a way to volunteer to help. 

As difficult as times like these are and are likely to become, they also are opportunities for revisiting the needs of our residents and communities.  They amplify needs, sometimes the very ones we think we already understand, and beg us to look anew at how we can regroup to best support people, community, and institutional resiliency.  Will libraries, in what is almost certain to be unprecedented and prolonged economic shrinkage, rise to the challenge?  It is exciting to contemplate, particularly for tuning-up our relevancy for everyone.  

Yours truly, Ruth Metz

From: Matthew Baiocchi [mailto:mbaiocchi at lincolncity.org] 
Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2020 2:44 PM
To: Ruth Metz <ruthmetz at spiretech.com>; jerew at multcolib.org
Cc: libs-or <libs-or at listsmart.osl.state.or.us>
Subject: Re: [Libs-Or] Contract tracing and libraries? And Free contact tracer training for anyone in the world

I've been thinking about this for just about 24 hours now and figuring the balance between patron privacy/open inquiry and patron health is one heck of a fine line. Yes, stating the obvious is a talent of mine :).

We already cross that line with various electronic databases and kindle books, but we might have (depending on county/state/fed guidelines/rules) more say in how to do manual contact tracing in the library. (Fingers crossed!)

CDC says, "symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus." (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html) Given this big range of symptom display (and this, of course, completely discounts asymptomatic folk and people who feel sick but don't announce it for a couple of days or more) it might make sense to check people into the library the first time they come in during a given week. I don't see any need to collect check out times, length of times in library, what was done in library, or multiple visits in a week to the library (given the time range of symptom display).

We check patrons in so they can't see any other names on the check in list. Check in includes name of patron and phone or email or address contact info. (If there is no way to contact a patron, do not allow access to the library since we then can't contact them if there's an outbreak situated around the library?) 

We keep records (electronic? paper?) for a period of time (I believe Washington restaurants have to keep them for 30 days. Is 30 days enough? Too much?). We make records available to county/state/fed health authorities when requested. We make sure to let patrons know this when checking in.

And there my ideas peter out. Thoughts? Criticisms? Is this something we don't even need to worry about right now? Better to think of it now so we don't get caught flatfooted later?

Hope y'all and your loved ones are doing well these days!

Matthew Baiocchi

REFERENCE LIBRARIAN

__

City of Lincoln City  |  Driftwood Public Library

801 SW Hwy 101  |  PO Box 50  |  Lincoln City, OR

P: 541.557.1116  |  E:  <mailto:mbaiocchi at lincolncity.org> mbaiocchi at lincolncity.org

W: Driftwoodlib.org | W: LincolnCity.org

  _____  

From: Libs-Or <libs-or-bounces at listsmart.osl.state.or.us <mailto:libs-or-bounces at listsmart.osl.state.or.us> > on behalf of Jere White <jerew at multcolib.org <mailto:jerew at multcolib.org> >
Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2020 1:47 PM
To: Ruth Metz
Cc: libs-or
Subject: Re: [Libs-Or] Contract tracing and libraries? And Free contact tracer training for anyone in the world 

Have y'all seen this article? I found it to be interesting especially in light that one of Vailey's questions last Friday was this very thing.

Jere W. White 

Library Outreach Specialist

Multnomah County Library

Library Outreach Services

205 N.E. Russell St., Portland, OR, 97212

503.988.3289

  <https://multcolib.org/sites/default/files/MultCoLib_2LineLogo_RGBemail_sig2.png> 

On Wed, May 13, 2020 at 9:37 AM Ruth Metz <ruthmetz at spiretech.com <mailto:ruthmetz at spiretech.com> > wrote:

Greetings, all.  Is anyone considering contact tracing as a way to deploy staff to help local, statewide, or regional response to C-19?  Some have begun talking about this because of the seeming compatibility of library reference skill sets and the “contact tracer.” 

For the curious-minded, see this announced launch (New York) of a free, six-hour online training, for anyone worldwide.  

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health  <https://now.ny.gov/page/m/2dedc928/5c95783a/450b5a59/d501bc1/3351641028/VEsA/?g=V6duBTpTVzRefN_OjLZWNZA> launched  <https://hub.jhu.edu/2020/05/11/free-contact-tracing-course-johns-hopkins/> https://hub.jhu.edu/2020/05/11/free-contact-tracing-course-johns-hopkins/

a free online course to train contact tracers. This course is part of New York's large-scale effort to build an army of contact tracers. If you are interested in becoming part of New York's contract tracing efforts, learn more https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/get-involved-how-you-can-help

Wishing you all well, 

Ruth Metz

Sent from my iPhone

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