SARS-CoV-2 is thought to mostly spread between people in close contact with one another and through respiratory droplets passed from person to person. Published research to date suggests that droplets expelled during actions like coughing, sneezing, speaking, and breathing may spread the virus through direct contact with other people or indirectly through contact with surfaces or dispersal into the air. There is a lot of excellent guidance for how to mitigate spread of COVID-19 through the air and direct contact with infected people, such as wearing masks, social distancing, washing hands, and having good ventilation. More recent research is focused on aerosols – microscopic particles expelled in a sneeze/cough that can float in the air longer and farther than droplets. Aerosols may contribute to transmission more than droplets; however, there remain open questions about this form of transmission. There is scientific evidence to suggest that spread via fomites (infected objects) is possible, from studies of samples of high-touch surfaces such as doorknobs, bathroom floors, toilets that tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. However, little is known on the infectivity of the virus on fomites. It may be that fomite transmission (touching an infected surface and then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes) is much less likely than airborne transmission, but it has not been ruled out. Because there are so many materials and surfaces that are used frequently by staff and visitors of libraries, archives, and museums, this research area has particular relevance to LAMs. The scientific literature reviews that are being produced by REALM explore the questions of how the virus is transmitted, how to mitigate its spread, and the effectiveness of disinfecting and cleaning methods. The laboratory research REALM project is contributing to the scientific evidence base about the virus life span on materials commonly used in libraries, archives, and museums. This question was posed by those who work daily with these materials, who felt that CDC guidelines did not offer information specific to operations that involve handling a high volume of materials that move in and out of their facilities and are touched by many people along the way.