SAA Council Statement on Impact of COVID-19 Health Crisis on Archives Workers

March 18, 2020—The Society of American Archivists is committed to supporting archivists during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The SAA Council strongly recommends that leaders, boards and trustees, and administrators of archives close public-facing facilities until archives workers are significantly less likely to be exposed or contribute to the spread of the coronavirus. While this decision is made locally, we urge decision-makers to act swiftly and proactively to authorize closures and remote work to protect the health of archives workers.

Archives and their staff members serve a crucial role in preserving and providing access to the nation’s cultural heritage. The recommendation to close American archives is not taken lightly, especially as we see access to and use of archives as one of our professional Core Values. However, many members of SAA support or belong to communities that are at higher risk of becoming seriously ill from the virus, including older adults and people with compromised immunity. 

Archivists select, preserve, and make available primary sources that document the activities of institutions, communities, and individuals. This work is essential to our communities and our society. Nevertheless, the valued labor of archivists is not more important than the health of the people doing that work. 

The SAA Council encourages managers and employers to facilitate archives workers at all levels to perform remote work. We recognize that it can be challenging to develop remote work activities that support the material and unique preservation imperatives of archives. However, in this time of crisis, individual health and safety are of utmost importance.This includes the staff of SAA, who have the full endorsement of the SAA Council to work remotely (see this update on testing for preparedness) while continuing to support our members. SAA staff members are closely monitoring the pandemic for potential effects on other in-person activities of our members, including our education offerings and the 2020 Joint Annual Meeting in Chicago.

We have created a resources page on which we will provide links to tools for managerial advocacy, support for displaced archives workers, and other resources to help the archives community navigate this global health crisis. We invite members to submit additional ideas for resources to saahq@archivists.org.