On this page you'll find a variety of resources, recommendations, and guidelines for your adaptation and use as you and your institution work to safely and successfully reopen in our new world impacted by COVID-19.

Recognizing that each museum has their own unique situations, please adapt these guides and workflow recommendations to fit your needs. The below resources should be considered as an aid to your internal discussions on how to safely approach your work both during the planning process and once your doors are opened again.

General Reopening Guidance + Workflow Recomendations

COVID-19 Sample Reopening Plans + Guidelines​

Members + Subscribers + Visitors •​ Staff Safety + Team Bonding

Signage Resources + Examples •​ Social Media + Digital Engagement Resources

Collections + Exhibition Care Resources •​ How to Collect + Document COVID-19 Stories

GENERAL REOPENING GUIDANCE + WORKFLOW RECOMMENDATIONS

• Playbook: Reopening Museums & Cultural Attractions – Cuseum

• Workflow Recommendations for Reopening Museums – WMA

• Reopening Guidelines for Indoor Museums, Galleries, Zoos, and Aquariums – CA Department of Public Health

• General Checklist for Outdoor Museums and Galleries – CA Department of Public Health

• Resources for Museums Preparing to Reopen – AAM

• Tips & Strategies for Reopening Museums After COVID-19 Closures – Cuseum

• Ensuring The Safety of The Public and Staff – ICOM

• Museums and Social Distancing: A Planning Toolkit – CCD and Smartify

• Considerations for Mask Policies – AAM

• Reopening: Guidance for General Office Settings – American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA)

• Precautions for Museums during Covid-19 Pandemic – International Committee for Museums and Collections of Modern Art (CIMAM)

COVID-19 SAMPLE REOPENING PLANS + GUIDELINES

Download, edit, adapt, and learn from this array of available sample reopening plans:

• Various California Sample Reopening Plans – CAM

• COVID-19 Emergency Operational Plans for Phased Reopening – Arizona Historical Society

• Guest Experience Reopening Plan – Protecting Ourselves and Our Visitors – Arizona Historical Society

• COVID-19 Protocols and Staged Re-opening Plan Details – Idaho State Historical Society

• Staged Re-opening of Facilities and Services – Idaho State Historical Society

• Rental Program and Museum Events Plan for Reopening – Arizona Historical Society

• Guidance for Reopening Museums – Alberta Museums Association

• Re-opening Protocols – Thanksgiving Point

• Re-opening Plans – Artnet News

• Editable Reopening Plan & Editable Reopening Checklist – Boise Art Museum

• Japanese Friendship Garden Society of San Diego – AAM

• Museum “Open to the Public” Guideline Considerations – Oaklahoma Museums Association

• How Boston Art Museums Are Planning Their COVID-19-Safe Reopenings – wbur.org

• New Visiting Guidelines – Children’s Museum of Idaho

• Glazer Children’s Museum Reopening Plan Phase 2 – GCM

• Discovery Park of America – AAM

• Reopening Plans – Magazzino Italian Art, Cold Spring, NY

MEMBERS + SUBSCRIBERS + VISITORS

• Museums & the “New” Visitor Experience – WMA

• Still Worth It? Admission Cost During the Pandemic for Cultural Entities (DATA) – Colleen Dilenschneider

• DATA UPDATE: How COVID-19 is Impacting Intentions to Visit Cultural Entities – July 27, 2020 – Colleen Dilenschneider

• Museums and COVID-19: 8 steps to support community resilience – ICOM

• Mask Up: Here Are The Safety Measures Visitors Want (DATA) – Colleen Dilenschneider

• Meeting Visitor Needs: What Will Make People Feel Safe by Age & Income (DATA) – Colleen Dilenschneider

• Why Members and Subscribers Are Critical for Your Reopening Strategy (DATA) – Colleen Dilenschneider

• Education, Age, Income: How Members and Subscribers Differ From General Attendees (DATA) – Colleen Dilenschneider

STAFF SAFETY + TEAM BONDING

• Museum Leaders: Sustaining Staff Engagement & Productivity During COVID-19 – WMA

• Keeping Our Employees And Partners Safe During #Coronavirus – Jennifer Christie, People Team Lead @Twitter 

• How leaders can bring employees together during COVID-19 – Microsoft

• Virtual Team Bonding During COVID-19 – JustWorks

• Smiles Behind the Mask - Tips for Staying Healthy and Happy at Work (PPT Presentation) – Arizona Historical Society

• Return to Work Checklist (Posting & Policies; Health & Safety; Best Practices) – HUB International

SIGNAGE RESOURCES + EXAMPLES

 Freely download and use the following signage for you institution upon reopening:

• Social Distancing Graphics for Museums (FREE) – entro (a branding and experiential design firm)

• Signage & Posters – Alberta Health Services

SOCIAL MEDIA + DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT RESOURCES

How can we utilize social media to successfully reach and engage our audiences? How can we create lasting online communities? Here, you'll find an assortment of guides, toolkits, and ideas of inspiration to help your museum grow, engage, and sustain its online audiences in this new era of the digital museum.

• Community Engagement During COVID-19 | Resources & Industry Examples – WMA

• Ultimate Guide to Virtual Museum Resources, E-Learning, and Online Collections – Museum Computer Network (MCN)

• Pivoting Community Engagement during COVID-19 – Medium

• Marketing Digital Experiences During Coronavirus – Culture Connect

• Long-Form Digital Content? Here are three museums doing it well – Museum Next

• Using Digital Platforms to Remain Connected to Audiences During Closures – AAM

• Your Guide to Rapid Content Development – Culture Connect

• Breaking the Mold: Experimenting with New Ideas to Increase Engagement – Medium

• Engaging Your Visitors While Closed – Dexibit – Dexibit

• Tips for Leveraging TikTok at Your Museum – Cuseum

• Digital Engagement in Culture, Heritage, and the Arts – Museum Next

• How A Small Art Gallery Survives With Social Media During COVID-19 Shutdown – Frobes

• Museum Social Media Managers Facebook Group

What's trending online?

Here are the current museum-related social media trends for you to follow and participate in.

 #MuseumFromHome • #MuseumMomentofZen • #MuseSocial • #MuseumSurvivalKit • #DearMuseum

• #MuseTech • #MuseumEd • #ITweetMuseums • #MuseumsAreNotNeutral • #MuseumsUnlocked

• #CovidArtMuseum • #CuratorBattle • #DrinkingAboutMuseums • #MAMuseumFurlough

Industry Twitter accounts to follow:

@futureofmuseums • @MusEdRoundtable • @MuseumWorkers • @AMTransparency • @MuseumsandRace

• ​@MuseumCN • @AAMers • @MuseumsAssoc • @US_IMLS • @awefund2020 • @cdilly 

COLLECTIONS + EXHIBITION CARE RESOURCES

• Courier and Technological Considerations During A Pandemic – Written by various museum registrars

• Guidelines for the Museum Courier during the Pandemic – The Registrar Hour

• COVID-19 Research Partnership to Inform Safe Handling of Collections, Reopening Practices for Libraries, Museums – IMLS

• Covid-19 Basics: Disinfecting Cultural Resources – NCPTT

• Harpers Ferry Center Guidance for Cleaning/Disinfecting Exhibitry to Combat Novel Coronavirus – National Parks Service

HOW TO COLLECT + DOCUMENT COVID-19 STORIES

• The Smithsonian Is Collecting Coronavirus 'Artifacts' To Document The Pandemic – NPR

• How Will We Remember the Pandemic? Museums Are Already Deciding – NY Times

• How Smithsonian Curators Are Rising to The Challenge of COVID-19  – Smithsonian Magazine

• How Museums Will Eventually Tell the Story of COVID-19 – Atlas Obscura

Do you have reopening guidance and resources you'd like to add?

Please share with us at communications@westmuse.org.

These resources are subject to change and will be updated as new information becomes available.

We're all in this together. #StayHealthy #StaySafe #TogetherButSafelyApart