In April 2020, a member institution reached out to LYRASIS for advice on how to safely collect archival materials during the early stages of the pandemic. The archives held half of a substantial collection from a donor who had contracted COVID-19 and was in assisted living. Upon hearing the news, the archives had one month to collect the remaining materials from the executor before they were lost.
In discussing the case, LYRASIS consultants hypothesized that other institutions across the country were experiencing similar situations and decided to create a survey to uncover collecting trends and archival practice during the pandemic.
