As well as the information from The National Archives, numerous other organisations and networks have produced useful resources for responding to Covid-19.
Advice, guidance and information
UK Government:
Covid-19 response
This set of webpages sets out the Government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Maintaining records to support NHS Test and Trace
Guidance has been produced to help organisations in certain sectors collect details and maintain records of staff, customers and visitors on their premises to support NHS Test and Trace. Venues in hospitality, the tourism and leisure industry, close contact services and local authority facilities must:
- ask every customer or visitor (over the age of 16) to provide their name and contact details
- keep a record of all staff working on their premises and shift times on a given day and their contact details
- keep these records of customers, visitors and staff for 21 days and provide data to NHS Test and Trace if requested
- display an official NHS QR code poster so that customers and visitors can ‘check in’ using this option as an alternative to providing their contact details
- adhere to General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)
Please see also Test and Trace in the workplace and information on local and national restrictions.
Higher education coronavirus operational guidance
This guidance is designed to help higher education (HE) providers in England minimise risk during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic and to provide students with an enjoyable experience, while staying as safe as possible.
Welsh Government: Phased return guidance for culture and heritage destinations
This guidance provides high level advice for organisations and individuals in Wales who manage culture and heritage destinations and venues that are open to the public.
Association of Independent Museums: Conservation and care of collections
Guidance from the UK Heads of Conservation Group on collections care including access, security, risk assessment, collections care checks and emergency plans.
Information Commissioner’s Office: Freedom of Information (FOI) and data protection
Guidance and advice from the Information Commissioner’s Office on FOI and data protection during the pandemic, and details of their telephone support line. ICO have also released a statement relating to contact tracing as well as guidance called Data Protection and Customer Logs.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund: How Covid-19 is affecting the heritage sector (March 2020)
A short piece by the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Head of Research, Data & Insight on the key findings from their survey asking organisations how they have been affected by Covid-19. An evaluation of the Heritage Emergency Fund provides a detailed picture of how organisations have spent Heritage Emergency grants and addresses the impact of the pandemic and challenges and opportunities for the future for heritage organisations. Also see the Future Heritage blogs where you can discover the latest thinking about the impact of Covid-19 on the heritage sector and beyond. The full range of National Lottery Heritage funding has resumed with refocused priorities for 2021-22.
Arts Council England: Meeting the Government Indemnity Scheme (GIS) conditions
Arts Council England have issued advice on meeting the security and environmental conditions for GIS, in light of a ‘shutdown’ announcement by Government whereby venues must close and travelling to work is only permitted if essential. While intended to advise organisations with loans under Government Indemnity, other organisations without loans under GIS may still find it useful.
National Museum Directors’ Conference (NMDC): Good practice guidelines for re-opening museums
These guidelines were published with support from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Museums and Galleries Working Group. They are intended to help employers, employees. the self-employed and volunteers in the museum sector in England understand how to work safely during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Libraries Connected: Library Service Recovery Toolkit
This toolkit is designed to help libraries to reopen and to reintroduce their services gradually, in line with the latest public health advice. It is regularly updated to reflect changes in Government guidance. Placing the safety and health of staff, volunteers and users at the forefront, the toolkit was developed in partnership with heads of library services and their teams. Libraries Connected have also published a safer libraries guide on how to organise spaces, a local advocacy resource to help promote libraries as a key partner in local recovery, and a range of practical tools to support the development of new online services and opportunities. These are regularly updated.
Local Government Association: Useful information for councils on coronavirus (Covid-19)
BSI: Guidance on safe working during the Covid-19 pandemic
Conservation
Canadian Conservation Institute: Caring for heritage collections during the pandemic
This resource was developed by an ad-hoc task force at the Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) to help staff from heritage institutions ensure that collections and heritage materials remain safe.
Institute of Conservation (ICON):
ICON have a guide to ‘waking up collections’
Health and Safety Executive: Managing risks and risk assessment at work
Galindo, A: The impact of hand sanitisers on collection materials
Federation of European Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning Associations (REHVA): Covid-19 guidance
The Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE): Coronavirus, SARS-Covi-2, Covid-19 and HVAC systems
Finances and funding
UK Government: Support for businesses, extended furlough scheme and job retention scheme
Comprehensive guidance on support for business from the UK Government. The Government has also invested £1.57 billion to protect Britain’s world-class cultural, arts and heritage institutions. Find out more about the #HereForCulture campaign.
Arts Council England: Covid-19 support
Details of the Arts Council’s emergency funding for National Portfolio Organisations, organisations outside the National Portfolio, and individuals. There is also information for organisations that are currently in receipt of funding from the Arts Council, and details of further support available from government and non-government sources. To support the organisations and people working in arts and culture at risk due to the Covid-19 crisis, ACE are also delivering the government’s emergency funding package, and complementing it with their own grants programmes.
The National Lottery Project Grants programme is re-opening from 22 July. This programme is designed to help fund independent organisations, creative practitioners and freelancers as quickly as possible. Supplementary guidance (PDF, 0.12MB) outlines what has changed to make the fund more responsive to the needs of smaller independent organisations and individual practitioners during Covid-19.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund: Responding to coronavirus
This regularly updated webpage links to the National Lottery Heritage Fund response to coronavirus. Applications to both the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage and Heritage Emergency Fund have closed but you can find out more about the latest funding, advice and guidance, including the reopening of the National Lottery Grants for Heritage.
Museum Development East Midlands: Business planning in a crisis (PDF, 0.22MB)
Grants Online: Grants Online homepage
A comprehensive grant funding information service that makes specific references to coronavirus grant schemes.
Grant finder: Coronavirus-related funding news
This page is updated regularly in response to coronavirus news and the resulting new or adapted financing programmes and funding schemes.
Funding Regulator: Covid-19 advice for fundraising organisations
Digital advice and resources
Arts Council England: Digital Culture Network
The Digital Culture Network provides practical support to the arts and culture sector, principally through its Tech Champions. This helps organisations to explore and harness the benefits of technology to achieve their goals, find new ways to reach and engage audiences, and develop sustainable business models. This page introduces the network and tells you how to get in touch with a Tech Champion.
Arts Council England: Digital Culture Network resources
This page has details of resources and support whilst the events page lists webinars, YouTube videos, and other resources to help you with digital engagement. It also helps with using technology more widely within your organisation, such as using Google Analytics, creating video content, and using remote working tools.
National Lottery Heritage Fund: Digital guide to online privacy and security
Research Libraries UK (RLUK): Covid-19 and the digital shift in action
This report explores how RLUK member libraries prepared for the closure of their physical libraries, their experiences of working remotely, and what plans they are putting in place to enable their recovery. It does so through the lens of the digital shift occurring in research library services, operations and collections.
UCL School of Management: Avoiding video conferencing fatigue
This self-help resource discusses how video conferencing compares to in-person interactions and shares best-practice tips for video conferencing. Leadership insights are also highlighted to ensure employees are adapting well to technology changes and working from home while avoiding professional burnout.
Resource hubs
UK Government: Working safely during Covid-19 and Offices and contact centres
Guidance to help employers, employees and the self-employed understand how to work safely during the coronavirus pandemic. On the UK Government website, you can also find guidance on:
- face coverings: when to wear one and how to make your own
- working or volunteering in heritage locations
- working in guest accommodation, performing arts and the visitor economy
Archives and Records Association: ARA Together and the online community
ARA Together on Discord has been generating lots of input so the ARA has collated and shared some of the information and ideas posted across each of the chat channels.
Association of Independent Museums: AIM Coronavirus resources
This page includes a business resilience checklist, and links to the Charity Finance Group’s guide for charity finance professionals.
Culture Health & Wellbeing Alliance: Coronavirus resources for practitioners and organisations
This page has links to the support available from a range of funders, as well as digital and analogue creative resources. It also links to online events, digital training, and health and wellbeing-related resources.
Heritage Alliance: Covid-19 Guidance Hub
This document provides a range of links, many of which relate to the charity sector, legal issues, communication, and digital. There are also links to the guidance, advice, and information from members of the Heritage Alliance, including the Institute of Conservation.
Local Government Association: Information for councils
This page has been created to act as an information, advice and guidance hub for councils. It includes links to information and guidance on many topics, including communications and statutory council responsibilities such as data protection.
London Museum Development: Covid-19 resources and information (0.21MB)
Links to general information, and a range of guidance on business continuity and security of collections. There is also collections care advice from the Museum of London’s Collections Care team.
Museums Association: Organisational and employment FAQs
Questions and answers for organisations and individuals, including relevant links covering a range of topics.
International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA): Key resources for libraries in responding to Covid-19
Collections Trust: Collections in lockdown
Re-opening Archives, Libraries and Museums (REALM): Information Hub
This Covid-19 research project is based in the United States and produces science-based information about how materials can be handled to mitigate Covid-19 exposure to staff and visitors of archives, libraries and museums.
Research Libraries UK (RLUK): Capturing Covid-19
Capturing Covid-19 is a series of activities which aims to understand the impact of the pandemic on member institutions and the wider higher education sector.
National Youth Agency: Managing youth sector activities and spaces during Covid-19
Share Museums East: Covid-19 resources
These resources are for museums of all sizes and include updates, funding and support.
UNESCO: Resources for documentary heritage professionals
Resources to support memory institutions in their efforts to preserve and ensure public access to official records related to Covid-19.