COVID-19 Resources

Washington State Library staff will be updating this site with learning and entertainment resources for home schoolers, workers-at-home, and career builders, and for librarians and K-20 educators as they continue to support their communities through the COVID-19 outbreak.  We've included a limited number of resources for national and international information and updates, and COVID-19 virus research.  Last updated Sept. 15, 2021.

Washington State COVID-19 Response is the one-stop, official COVID-19 site, where all state agencies provide their information and emergency actions.  You'll find links to the State Department of Health, resources for individuals and families, travelers and commuters, the latest information on unemployment benefits for business and workers and small business support from the Department of Employment Security, local health departments, and for childcare, K-12, and higher education. Washington 2-11 connects you to community resources statewide.  Dial 2-1-1 or visit wa211.orgWashington Listens will provide non-clinical support to people experiencing elevated stress due to COVID-19.

El Nuevo Virus Corona (COVID-19) en español.

CARES Act Funding information is now available on our website for the Exterior Connectivity Project.

Washington Libraries Work! Supporting Job Seekers & Workforce Development During COVID-19 

Washington Center for the Book's Sheltered in Place: COVID-19 Zine Diaries Project 

Washington Mask Challenge

Washington State Department of Health Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccine site

Resources for:
Libraries & Librarians
School Librarians & K-20 Educators
Family & Caregiver Homeschooling Resources
Home Workers, Middle & High School & College Students, Career-Builders
National and Global Data & Research about the COVID-19 Virus

Libraries & Librarians

WSL is maintaining a dataset that records how COVID-19 has affected various services at Washington State public libraries.

WSL provides free online trainings for library staff members via Niche Academy.

WSL has created an interactive map of library wifi locations across our state.

The Washington Center for the Book is collecting stories from Washingtonians of all ages via the Sheltered in Place: COVID-19 Zine Diaries Project.

ACRL's Pandemic Resources for Academic Libraries LibGuide features updated information, free professional development, open access publications, and other resources to support academic and research library personnel during a pandemic.

ALA's Pandemic Preparedness: Resources for Libraries.

ALA microsite aggregating and promoting resources from across the association related to COVID-19 recovery

Allconnect created a guide to provide resources on how individuals can find a low-income internet plan to suit their needs: Low-Income Internet Guide

American Libraries annoucements and resources: ACA Coverage, Health Tools Assist Library Workers, Patrons Facing Job Loss.

AskMayoExpert, Mayo Clinic’s primary clinical knowledge resource for providers at the point of care, is sharing its COVID-19 content with the public. 

Call Number with American Libraries Podcast Episode 49: Libraries Respond to COVID-19.

CIELO has created a bilingual COVID-19 Support/COVID-19 Appoyo site.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has a site on Protecting your Finances through the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The Department of Employment Security is the definitive resource for questions about the ever-evolving emergency measures being put in place to support Washington's workers and businesses effected by the COVID-19 outbreak. 

EveryoneOn is a nonprofit dedicated to creating social and economic opportunity by connecting low-income families to affordable internet service and computers, and delivering digital skills trainings.

Experian is offering free business credit reports to every small business in America and free access to new COVID-19 U.S. Business Risk Index.

FOUNDATIONSearch is sharing foundation funding opportunities and other vital assistance for its members and others.

GotResumeBuilder.com is a free resume builder service for libraries and schools. 

The Heritage Emergency National Task Force has compiled relevant COVID-19 URLs from its members and other stakeholders.

IMLS COVID-19 Updates.

Internet Archive provides a number of free resources for parents, students, teachers, and librarians around the world—check out these tools for remote learning!

JSTOR and their participating publishers are making an expanded set of content freely available through June 30, 2022 to their participating institutions where students have been displaced due to COVID-19.

Digital issues of Kirkus Reviews are now available without charge.

LexisNexis Risk Solutions COVID-19 National Data Resource Center.

The Librarian Reserve Corps (LRC) is an all-volunteer-led group founded in March 2020 providing critical librarian time, skills, and resources to the growing need for quality information in swift emergency response to the global pandemic. Over 100 members strong, LRC has volunteers around the globe (13 and counting!) collaborating with health and library science professionals in these efforts. LRC volunteers provide a variety of expertise and skillsets critical to this work, from comprehensive literature searching to indexing to partnership building. To promote efficient and productive collaboration, LRC is a project-based volunteer network..

Library of Congress - Understanding the Pandemic Virtual Programs.

Library Journal COVID-19 Resources booklist.

The Massachusetts Library System has created a LibGuide with resources for Libraries dealing with COVID-19.

National Alliance on Mental Illness COVID-19 Resource And Information Guide.

National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) COVID-19 resources including free and low cost internet plans.

Netflix has made a selection of their documentary features and series available on the Netflix US YouTube channel

The New Coronavirus: Library and Business Operations Planning is provided by the NLM Disaster Information Management Research Center (DIMRC) to help with continuity of operations planning for businesses and libraries.

NewsGuard shows trust ratings for 4,000+ news and information sites–written by trained journalists based on nine journalistic criteria. They tell you who’s behind each site, how it’s funded, and whether you can trust it. NewsGuard Coronavirus Misinformation Tracking Center.

NNLM is offering an accelerated learning plan to quickly earn CHIS (Consumer Health Info Specialization) in about a month through free, online, self-paced classes.  

OCLC's COVID-19 page brings together resources to help libraries serve their communities during the pandemic.  O

Free Online Tools for Library Marketing from Angela Hursh of Super Library Marketing.

OnwardWA is a one-stop resource for the people of Washington impacted by job loss during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

PenguinClassroom.com contains Penguin School & Library Teacher and Librarian Resources.

Project MUSE: Resources for Libraries During the COVID-19 Crisis.

Programming Librarian's Phone Programming in a Pandemic.

Penguin Random House Digital Resources for Libraries.

Reopening guidance from the Meridian Library District in Idaho, the New Mexico State LibraryOregon State Library, and Utah State Library.  Here is an article in American Libraries piece on reopening.  

Self Advocacy Resource and Technical Assistance Center (SARTAC)'s 8-page booklet about the Coronavirus is written in plain language. It was created by and for people with developmental disabilities.

ScienceOpen works with publishers to highlight Coronavirus research.

Sifting Through the Coronavirus Pandemic: Learn the skills that will make a dramatic difference in your ability to sort fact from fiction on the web (and everything in between). From Mike Caulfield, a digital information literacy expert working at Washington State University Vancouver. 

In the STARnet STEM Activity Clearinghouse, librarians and library staff can find high quality, vetted STEM activities.

The State Library of Oregon's COVID-19: Information for Oregon Libraries site contains many resources that are also of use to Washington's libraries. 

Texas State Library and Archives Commission tip sheet for libraries looking to boost their public wifi’s reach outside the building.

Thomson Reuters, in partnership with the National Association of Media Literacy and Education (NAMLE), has launched a guide to identifying misinformation on the coronavirus pandemic.

TypeCite is a citation tool specializing in the APA, MLA, and Harvard citation systems. It is completely free for users to create citations in all styles.

The University of Texas Libraries Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection contains many COVID-19 maps.

USDA Rural Development COVID-19 Response.

Washington Library Association's Resources for Libraries during COVID-19.

The Washington State Department of Financial Institutions has developed a list of financial resources for Washington consumers impacted by the Coronavirus.

Washington State Department of Health FAQ: Resources page lists some helpful tips and resources available throughout the state.  Also this piece on the Pandemic Generation.

Washington State Department of Labor and Industries Novel Coronavirus Outbreak (COVID-19) Resources.

Washington State Historical Society COVID-19 Response.

Washington State Law Library's COVID-19: Legal and Government Resources.

We Are One: A Global Film Festival.

WebJunction's Evolving Information and Resources was created to support libraries during the COVID-19 outbreak including REALM - Reopening Archives, Libraries, and Museums (REALM) Information Hub: A COVID-19 Research Project.

WebMD has launched a COVID-19 Symptom Checker.

WorkforceGPS site on Workplace Resources for Mental Health.

LIVE EVENTS:

ARCHIVED WEB EVENTS: 

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School Librarians & K-20 Educators

Primarily Washington is the Washington State Library, Washington State Archives, and Legacy Washington's way of bridging the gap between the primary sources in our collections and the classroom. Legacy Washington documents extraordinary stories in Washington history. 

The Washington Digital Newspapers program brings together over 400,000 pages from our earliest online Washington Territorial newspaper collection with titles digitized by the State Library.

The Washington Rural Heritage collection provides access to digitized primary sources documenting the early culture, industry, and community life of Washington State.

The Washington Center for the Book is collecting stories from Washingtonians of all ages via the Sheltered in Place: COVID-19 Zine Diaries Project.

WA Digital TeachKit is a resource guide developed by teacher librarians to support their fellow educators around WA with guides to various tools used to engage learners in virtual spaces.

To facilitate the rapid dissemination of COVID-19 findings, Academic Emergency Medicine (AEM) journal, in collaboration with Wiley Publishing, is fast-tracking submissions related to COVID-19 and making the latest, most relevant research available in an easy-to-navigate, freely accessible online collection of accepted and citable articles

Amazon Initiative Offers Resources for Educators Switching to Remote Learning.

Boeing Academy for STEM Learning at Home a week-long guided experience with the Museum of Flight for students in grades 3 to 12.

Brightly is a Penguin Random House site that provides parents, educators, and caregivers with the tools they need — such as tips and advice, book recommendations, Brightly Storytime, which features read-aloud and flip along videos, and more — to keep kids connected to books through every age & stage of life.

CDC Releases School Reopening Guidelines.

Code.org Resources for Teaching in Virtual and Socially-Distanced Classrooms.

Educational Resources from Chronicle Books.

DPLA’s collection of free primary source sets cover a wide range of topics and include a curated set of primary sources, lesson plans, discussion questions and tips for primary source analysis.

Dyson has released 44 Challenge Cards: a series of 22 engineering and 22 science experiments for kids to do at home, as schools globally have closed. Engineers and designers at the UK-based tech company came up with the activities, all of which can be done using ordinary household items. There are free downloads of COVID-19 books for kids here and here.  First Aid for Feelings: A Workbook to Help Kids Cope During the Coronavirus Pandemic is a free 16-page downloadable workbook available in English and Spanish. Denise Daniels teamed up with Scholastic and the Yale Child Study Center to create this workbook to help children, families, and educators cope during this pandemic. Coronavirus: A Book for Children can be downloaded from Candlewick Press.

Food Support for College Student Arrives During Pandemic - As COVID-19 worsens hunger for college students across the United States, thousands more community and technical college students in Washington state will receive food benefits. 

To support the hundreds of millions of students and educators currently facing school closures, Google for Education has created Teach from Home—a hub providing information, tips, training and tools to help remote teaching and learning.

GotResumeBuilder.com is a free resume builder service for libraries and schools. 

Internet Archive provides a number of free resources for parents, students, teachers, and librarians around the world—check out these tools for remote learning!

KidLit At Home is a free online learning resource created to support parents and educators during a time of increased need for learning enrichment, entertainment, and comfort. 

Labyrinth Learning has written several comprehensive articles containing valuable information on moving to online-only courses. If your institution has been affected, or you would like to prepare for the possibility, these resources should help.

Library of Congress - Understanding the Pandemic Virtual Programs.

MAEC's Pandemic, Protests, and Public Schools – Webinars.

The Make Way for Books App was created to ensure families with young children (ages birth to 5) have access to free, effective, and bilingual early literacy engagement that they can access anytime, anywhere. Families, children, and early childhood educators can join the Make Way for Books Online Storytime group here.

Mackin launched their Distance Learning Essentials web page to give educators critical information regarding distance learning, effective methods of implementation, free content, and current health information that addresses the COVID-19 pandemic..

MIT Press is offering e-Resources during the Covid-19 Pandemic.

National Geographic Learning Introduces Free Teaching Materials on COVID-19.

The National Girls Collaborative Project has compiled STEM Resources for Online Learning.

The New York Times is available to high school students for free when signed up by a teacher. (Ends Sept. 1, 2021.)

PBS Learning is KCTS 9 and PBS' curated collection of FREE, standards-aligned videos, interactives, lesson plans, and more for teachers.

PenguinClassroom.com contains Penguin School & Library Teacher and Librarian Resources.

Google has launched ‘Read Along,’ a free app that helps young children practice reading.

Jason Reynolds, National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, Connects with Young People at Home through a Video Series and Newsletter.

SAGE Releases Collection of Free Resources from Their 2020 Textbook & Academic Authors Association (TAA) Award-Winning Titles

School Library Journal:

School’s Out Washington has compiled a list of links and resources including stigma reduction, fact sheets, guidance for schools and programs, and planning for your organization.  

Smithsonian Learning Lab is your destination for millions of carefully curated, easily accessible, customizable, and shareable open educational resources.

The State of Innovation Challenge is a virtual, career connected learning problem solving challenge for middle school, high school, and out of school youth — including Open Doors students, WIOA-eligible youth, and Opportunity Youth.

STEAM Ahead @ Home from STARnet Libraries.

TeachingBooks is providing open/complimentary access to their new Book & Reading Engagement Kit: Home Edition.

TypeCite is a citation tool specializing in the APA, MLA, and Harvard citation systems. It is completely free for users to create citations in all styles.

The University of Texas Libraries Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection contains many COVID-19 maps.

VidCode is offering free access to their full curriculum until schools reopen: apply here.

The new Washington College Grant (WCG) gives more money to more students for more kinds of education after high school.

The Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) created Resources for Continuous Learning During School Closures.

Washington state teachers of the year discuss education during covid crisis.

Workman's resources for remote learning.

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Family & Caregiver Homeschooling Resources

Explore Washington history through images and digitized newspapers and other resources: Primarily Washington is the Washington State Library, Washington State Archives, and Legacy Washington's way of bridging the gap between the primary sources in our collections and the classroom. Legacy Washington documents extraordinary stories in Washington history. The Washington Rural Heritage collection provides access to digitized primary sources documenting the early culture, industry, and community life of Washington State. The Washington Digital Newspapers program brings together over 400,000 pages from our earliest online Washington Territorial newspaper collection with titles digitized by the State Library.

The Washington Center for the Book is collecting stories from Washingtonians of all ages via the Sheltered in Place: COVID-19 Zine Diaries Project.

Washington State Department of Health Parent and Caretaker Resources and Recommendations.

Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA) - Free resources empower parents, caregivers with tools to navigate the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic with youth.

Boeing Academy for STEM Learning at Home a week-long guided experience with the Museum of Flight for students in grades 3 to 12.

Brightly is a Penguin Random House site that provides parents, educators, and caregivers with the tools they need — such as tips and advice, book recommendations, Brightly Storytime, which features read-aloud and flip along videos, and more — to keep kids connected to books through every age & stage of life.

Code.org offered Code Break - a weekly live interactive classroom with weekly challenges to engage students of all abilities, even those without computers.

Coding in Minecraft is a computer science credential program with supporting curriculum, delivered through Minecraft: Education Edition and hosted on GMetrix. 

The Department of Children, Youth and Families has a new resource guide: Washington State Resource Guide for Parents and Caregivers: Caring for Your Family During COVID-19

Destination Imagination released a new resource that includes 5 free STEAM Challenges, which are designed without a teamwork component so that kids are able to do them on their own.

DPLA’s collection of online exhibitions can introduce students to more than two dozen topics ranging from the 1918 flu pandemic to Political Outsiders in US Presidential Elections to the building of the Transcontinental Railroad. Are you researching a project for National History Day? Find out more about how DPLA resources around this year’s theme, Breaking Barriers in History, can help.

There are free downloads of COVID-19 books for kids here and here.  First Aid for Feelings: A Workbook to Help Kids Cope During the Coronavirus Pandemic is a free 16-page downloadable workbook available in English and Spanish. Denise Daniels teamed up with Scholastic and the Yale Child Study Center to create this workbook to help children, families, and educators cope during this pandemic. 

Just For Kids: A Comic Exploring The New Coronavirus is a comic that includes information from healthcare experts interviewed for an NPR story (link to listen). Can be printed and folded into a zine.

Jarrett Lerner’s Activities Page has lots of printouts and activities that encourage creativity and story creation. Picture Book Read-Alouds features authors reading their own work, including a list from the Indianapolis Public Library with over 100 titles, and titles in non-English languages.

25 Makerspace Projects For Kids from makerspaces.com 

Former classroom teacher Kate Messner's collection of recordings of authors and illustrators sharing lessons, excerpts, etc. from their books.

Netflix has made a selection of their documentary features and series available on the Netflix US YouTube channel

The Read, Draw, Create community's Authors Everywhere is a YouTube channel with authors sharing their books and work, will also, hopefully, host panels and other discussions.

Roadtrip Nation's Educational Resources for Teachers and Parents.

School Library Journal:

ScienceOpen works with publishers to highlight Coronavirus research.

STEAM Ahead @ Home from STARnet Libraries.

Older kids can check out STEAM from your living room videos with Jamie Bair, Fort Vancouver Regional Library's Experiential Learning Librarian.

Storyline Online videos of celebrities reading picture books.

Online resources for fingerplays and songs to encourage early learning:

Bellingham Public Library Early Learning Resources

Jbrary You Tube Playlists and Storytime Online Resources

King County Library System: Tell Me a Story

Spokane County Library System: Getting Ready for Kindergarten

Looking for an escape? Check out these digital escape rooms:

40+ Digital Escape Rooms (plus a step by step guide for creating your own)

Dog Man Digital Escape Room by a School Library Media Coordinator

Hogwarts Digital Escape Room by Sydney Krawiec, Youth Services Librarian at Peters Township Public Library

Many museums, zoos, and aquariums have webcams and online programming:

Woodland Park Zoo's Zoo to You resources

Imagine Children’s Museum Programming online

Smithsonian Learning Lab

Seattle Aquarium Live Cams

Seattle Art Museum's Stay Home with SAM

Monterey Bay Aquarium Live Cams

Library of Congress:  Smart Fun for Kids

NASA STEM Engagement

National Women's History Museum

Children's Museum of Houston

Cleaning Guides & Resources for Childcare Centers, Schools & Homes

Best Practices for Cleaning Play and Learn Spaces, a blog post providing an overview of cleaning toys and children’s areas from the Association of Library Service to Children (ALSC).

Classroom Cleaning Tips for Teachers from the Washington State Department of Health.

Cleaners, Sanitizers & Disinfectants from the American Academy of Pediatrics, offers guidelines for cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitizing objects and surfaces.

Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Disinfection Frequency Table (.pdf) from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) outlining when and how to clean early childhood learning environments.

Green Cleaning Toolkit for Early Care and Education includes information about when to clean vs. sanitize vs. disinfect and how to select appropriate non-toxic cleaning products. Also provides recommendations on when to use bleach and the dilution ratio, from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

IMLS webinar Mitigating COVID-19 When Managing Paper-Based, Circulating, and Other Types of Collections.

REALM Project: REopening Archives, Libraries, and Museums (REALM) is a research project conducted by OCLC, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and Battelle to produce science-based information about how materials can be handled to mitigate COVID-19 exposure to staff and visitors of archives, libraries, and museums.

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Home Workers, Middle & High School & College Students, Career-Builders

The State Library's Microsoft LinkedIn Learning Academy Program funds Washingtonians' access to self-directed learning pathways to prepare for and obtain industry-recognized digital skills and software certification.  Resources include Northstar Digital Literacy (basic computer skills), LinkedIn Learning (business, creative & tech), Microsoft Imagine Academy (Microsoft Office applications, entry-level IT & comuter science), and the free certifications described on our Learn, Practice, Certify Page. Certification is the best way to prove to an employer you have the software and IT skills they're looking for.

Northstar Digital Literacy defines the basic skills needed to use a computer and the internet in daily life, employment, and higher education. Online, self-guided assessments measure mastery of basic skills in each of 14 areas. Test takers can receive certificates and/or digital badges when they pass Northstar assessments in a proctored environment at a Northstar testing location. The Northstar assessment result page links to self-directed online learning practice for skills not yet mastered. Once test takers pass the Northstar assessments, which certify basic skills, they are qualified to pursue more advanced training like those offered by LinkedIn Learning and the Cisco Networking Academy, or industry-recognized certifications, described on our Learn, Practice, Certify page. Contact your local public library to request a Northstar Learner account, and ask about proctored exams. Learner accounts and exam proctoring are also available from the Washington State Library; please email your request to [email protected]. Please specify whether you're requesting a Northstar Learner account or information on Northstar Assessment proctoring, and include your home, school, or work zip code.

LinkedIn Learning (formerly known as Lynda.com) is THE premiere online learning platform, with up-to-date on-demand (desktop & mobile), unlimited access to over 16,000 business, design & tech expert-led online courses to learn in-demand skills.  All Washingtonians can access LinkedIn Learning courses through their local public library, with a valid library card and PIN. If you live or work in Washington State and do not have a public library card, you can get a State Library card online, and access LinkedIn Learning through the State Library, in our capacity as a public library. LinkedIn's Learning Blog is a great place to read about the latest trends in careers and employment. Discover courses, tips and information that can take your career to new heights.

To support the hundreds of thousands of students and educators experiencing disruptions due to COVID-19 globally, Coursera has made its full course catalog free to every university in the world impacted. To help them continue learning as seamlessly as possible, Coursera will extend its Coursera for Campus offering to provide universities free access to 3,800 courses and 400 Specializations from leading universities and companies.

The Washington State Department of Enterprise Services (DES) is offering remote learning resources.

Annuity.org's Impact of COVID-19 on Women in the Labor Force.

IBM Launches Open P-TECH Globally; Free platform focused on workplace learning and skills will be offered in English, Portuguese and Spanish.

Microsoft has committed to help 25 million people acquire new digital skills needed for the Covid-19 economy.

OnwardWA is a one-stop resource for the people of Washington impacted by job loss during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The Seattle Times has curated a resource list on a variety of topics including, health, education, food and childcare during the COVID-19 outbreak.

South Sound Business piece on Remote Work: Tips From Locals Doing it Right.

To help those working in nonprofits quickly transition to remote work, TechSoup created a free track of courses to provide information and tools for making this transition.

WorkforceGPS site on Workplace Resources for Mental Health.

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National and Global Data & Research about the COVID-19 Virus

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides national statistics about the spread of the virus and quarantine efforts underway to decrease its spread.  You'll also find resources for K-12 Schools and Childcare Programs for preventing COVID-19 virus spread in communities.  Print and post handwashing posters above sinks at home as a reminder for how to effectively wash hands to prevent the spread of the virus.

AskMayoExpert, Mayo Clinic’s primary clinical knowledge resource for providers at the point of care, is sharing its COVID-19 content with the public. 

COVID-EXPLAINED was created by a team of researchers and students at Brown, MIT, Harvard, Mass General and elsewhere.

Database company EBSCO has made their DynaMed COVID-19 virus Topic available, free of charge.  

The Georgia Institute of Technology and Applied Bioinformatics Laboratory COVID-19 Event Risk Assessment Planning Tool.

The Johns Hopkins COVID Behaviors Dashboard presents data from a global survey of knowledge, attitudes and practices around COVID-19. 

The Librarian Reserve Corps (LRC) is an all-volunteer-led group founded in March 2020 providing critical librarian time, skills, and resources to the growing need for quality information in swift emergency response to the global pandemic. Over 100 members strong, LRC has volunteers around the globe (13 and counting!) collaborating with health and library science professionals in these efforts. LRC volunteers provide a variety of expertise and skillsets critical to this work, from comprehensive literature searching to indexing to partnership building. To promote efficient and productive collaboration, LRC is a project-based volunteer network.

ProQuest’s animated video series provides an accessible overview of some of the key issues surrounding the current pandemic. 

The Smithsonian's Vaccines & Us: Cultural Organizations for Community Health.

The World Health Organization provides information on the global spread of the COVID-19 virus, including scam alerts, technical guidance and global research.  The COVID-19 Situation dashboard is an interactive dashboard/map providing the latest global numbers and numbers by country of COVID-19 virus cases, updated daily.

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