Conservation of cultural and scientific heritage collections at the University of São Paulo during COVID-19 pandemic: reflection on initial actions and challenges

Abstract

This paper reflects on the effectiveness of the responses implemented by the University of São Paulo to preserve its collections in the first 12 weeks of the new coronavirus pandemic. To do so, it presents the survey conducted by the Publications Workgroup of the USP Preventive Conservation Network, during the initial phase of the pandemic, to investigate the university’s response capacity against an unknown threat: the Sars-CoV-2 pandemic, considering people’s health and the preventive conservation of university collections at units that handle cultural and scientific heritage. The text is divided into three parts. The first discusses the context that influences the institutional capacity to manage emergency situations: communication, teamwork and resilience in transformation processes. The second brings a brief history of institutional decisions (until June 2020). Finally, the third part presents and discusses the results of the questionnaire, formulated made by the Network and applied to USP’s employees, faculty and students. The answers indicate that USP responded promptly to safeguard the physical health of its community; however, it encountered some difficulty in acting, quickly and efficiently, to protect outsourced employees, emotional health, and its collections. The unprecedented nature of this emergency explains, somewhat, the difficulties faced, but we must also consider the absence, in many Units, of clear plans and protocols and previous team training against pandemic threats.