Information Today, Inc. Corporate Site KMWorld CRM Media Streaming Media Faulkner Speech Technology Unisphere/DBTA
PRIVACY/COOKIES POLICY
Other ITI Websites
American Library Directory Boardwalk Empire Database Trends and Applications DestinationCRM Faulkner Information Services Fulltext Sources Online InfoToday Europe KMWorld Literary Market Place Plexus Publishing Smart Customer Service Speech Technology Streaming Media Streaming Media Europe Streaming Media Producer Unisphere Research



News & Events > NewsBreaks
Back Index Forward
Twitter RSS Feed
 



Going Virtual: Libraries See Challenges and Opportunities in the Pandemic
by
Posted On May 5, 2020
“Librarians are the bridge between people and the information they need.” This motto from my library school professor Ed Miller was hammered into our heads in every class he taught. To revisit that analogy a few decades later, think of a time when librarians suddenly found that the river beneath them had been mined by hostile forces.

In the middle of March 2020, librarians for the first time in history found themselves without their most basic tool—a physical space to share the treasures of their culture. All academic libraries and most public libraries had already given their patrons some kind of access to online journals, ebooks, and audiobooks, as well as streaming access to audiovisual products.

Many librarians are at home and still earning a paycheck. There is a lot of motivation to take their libraries’ mission further into cyberspace. The ones who succeed at this effort will return to libraries that are stronger than ever.

Case Study: East Meadow Public Library

Your Next Read from East Meadow Public LibraryThe East Meadow Public Library in Nassau County, Long Island, was in a unique position to respond to the March 2020 shutdown in New York. In summer 2019, it had embarked on a total renovation of its building. For months, the library was closed entirely (with satellite locations set up to handle reserves), or it was opened with a much-reduced portion of its building accessible to patrons. Streaming sites were made available for movies, music, and magazines. Programming was done at several remote sites. In short, its librarians knew how to adapt.

All of this was put to the test in March. Librarians were sent home, where they were asked to provide some sort of minimal service. Originally, they planned to discontinue all programming. The Reader Services department members had scheduled a major book discussion for the following week, and they began to think of ways to have it online. The patrons were willing, but the first attempt, using a Google Groups email list set up for the occasion, worked out very badly. There were considerable technical issues, and they could not reproduce the type of give-and-take discussion that they had once enjoyed. A week later, they tried again, using Zoom, and that was totally successful.

The Zoom approach was used in the ensuing weeks to enable video chats with authors Joshilyn Jackson and Fiona Davis. However, the library encountered a malicious hacking incident in a program days later. The library administration had by then decided that videoconferencing should be a feature of programs even after the library reopened, as it was reaching a previously underserved population of homebound patrons. Fortunately, a number of Zoom alternatives were springing up to fill this kind of demand.

The Reader Services librarians then set out to create an entirely new online product to emulate the type of service they had been providing in the physical space. Their team of three librarians worked out the mechanics, content, and design of Your Next Read (see the image, at right) using the free online product JotForm. Within days, it had gone online and was discovered by patrons almost immediately. Referrals were passed out to the librarians depending on their literary specialties.

One program called Read ’n Share had been turning in low numbers before the shutdown. Librarians would meet with their frequent readers and discuss new titles, then create a bibliography. When this was tried as a video chat, the numbers doubled.

Other Long Island Librarians Share Their Experiences

I spoke to two area librarians about the changes in services that they’ve been seeing at their libraries. Manny Mavrikakis, head of reference services at the Levittown Public Library, says the following:

We added a live chat using Tidio, where we monitor the chats between Reference, Children’s, and the Young Adult departments, between the hours of 10–7 on weekdays and 10–4 on Saturdays. We also have started a Tech Help email service where patrons are able to email us with specific questions on how to use Libby, utilizing our databases, and using our video streaming services. We have also been able to offer help on how to use their digital devices. We are utilizing Zoom to conduct programs, such as Talking About Books, [in which] patrons can discuss what they are reading and share their recommendations to the other participants. Our staff is also offering video tutorials via YouTube. Patrons will be able to refer to these videos for assistance on loading OverDrive onto various devices along with using Hoopla and other streaming services.

James Hartmann, head of UX and technology at the Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library, says the following:

Most, almost all, of our programs and services were impacted due to our closure for COVID-19. Films, musicals, concerts, shows, lectures, and workshops were all cancelled or postponed. Once we cancelled programs, we began working on modifying any programs or events that we could. Museum Pass reservations were cancelled, as the institutions themselves were closed. Homebound delivery was suspended, as well as our Book Club in a Bag program for local book clubs. Some services were easier to transition online than others. Book discussions and some lectures were easy to swap over, and attendance has actually gone up, especially as more people in our community have some extra free time working from home. Our teen department has been running our most popular programs, escape rooms, and we were able to bring those online using Google Forms. (They’re available for everyone to play on hwpl.org/covid19.) Other resources, such as ebooks, online storytimes, and streaming video were already on our website, and gained even more users during our closing.

I asked both librarians about their headaches and triumphs during this upsetting time. Mavrikakis says:

I think as librarians, we are always thinking outside the box and we have definitely been experiencing that during this crisis. We are learning and adapting our methods to reach the public via various virtual platforms. Working from home with the reference staff and continuing to help patrons on the virtual platform has been challenging. However, we continue to have more traffic to our website and online services, which is exciting, as it offers a first-time user and our regular patrons the ability to see what we continue to offer.

Hartmann says:

One of our bigger issues was getting staff who weren’t fully acquainted with various technologies up and running. We had a few librarians who don’t have internet at home, or only use their phones. It’s something that made me think about patron access as well. If we have staff members unable to get online, we can’t assume that all of our patrons can be served digitally either. Another thing we’ve been trying to be cognizant of is the mental health of our staff, especially our technology department. Across our system, tasks that were carried out by the entire staff of the building are now falling on departments that might only have one or two staff members. But overall, I think our triumphs outweigh the issues. We’ve gotten up and running, our ebook wait times down lower than they’ve ever been before, and we’re pushing out programs and responding to community needs. It will be a different world when we get back into our buildings, but I think we’re all up for the challenge!

Conclusion

At the East Meadow Public Library, I have observed a pride in coping with unthinkable circumstances and still being able to offer a healthy level of services to patrons. On its website, and on most of the public library websites I looked at, the Children’s and Young Adult sections have stepped up their delivery of original content in the form of story hours, book discussions, and crafting programs. Web chats will be a feature of library programming from now on. When the doors are reopened, patrons will enter with a renewed appreciation for their libraries.

Webliography

“Public Libraries’ Novel Response to a Novel Virus”

theatlantic.com/notes/2020/03/public-libraries-novel-response-to-a-novel-virus/609058

“COVID-19’s Impact on Libraries Goes Beyond Books”

wired.com/story/covid-19-libraries-impact-goes-beyond-books

COVID-19 and the Global Library Field

ifla.org/covid-19-and-libraries


Terry Ballard is the author of three books and more than 100 articles about library automation. In addition to several writing awards, Ballard was given the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019 and appears in the 2020 edition of Who’s Who in America. Further information can be found at terryballard.org, and he can be reached at terryballard@gmail.com.

Email Terry Ballard

Related Articles

4/7/2020Celebrating Sunshine Week During the COVID-19 Crisis
1/30/2020COVID-19 NEWS: Elsevier Introduces Coronavirus Resource
3/5/2020COVID-19 NEWS: EveryLibrary Provides a List of Coronavirus Resources
3/10/2020COVID-19 NEWS: CDC's 'Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Situation Summary'
3/10/2020COVID-19 NEWS: FDA's 'Coronavirus (COVID-19) Supply Chain Update'
3/10/2020COVID-19 NEWS: EveryLibrary's 'Libraries and Accurate Information About the Coronavirus'
3/10/2020COVID-19 NEWS: HBR's 'How Coronavirus Could Impact the Global Supply Chain by Mid-March'
3/10/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'CDC Warns Against Long Plane Trips and Cruises as Coronavirus Cases Mount'
3/10/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'APA Applauds Congress for Funding Efforts to Fight Coronavirus'
3/10/2020COVID-19 NEWS: PW's 'As the New Coronavirus Spreads, Conferences Suffer'
3/10/2020COVID-19 NEWS: PR Daily's 'How Brand Managers Should Address COVID-19'
3/10/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'Cancellation of ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo'
3/17/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'ALA Executive Director Tracie Hall Releases Statement on COVID-19'
3/17/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'PBS Responds to Coronavirus Pandemic With Programming and Online Content to Keep Americans Informed and Support Families and Educators'
3/17/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'Coronavirus-Impacted Libraries Get Unlimited Access to Ebook Central Holdings'
3/17/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'Resources From Gale on COVID-19'
3/17/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'ASIS&T Authors Examine the Role of Information During a Global Health Crisis'
3/17/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'Elsevier Gives Full Access to Its Content on Its COVID-19 Information Center for PubMed Central …'
3/17/2020COVID-19 NEWS: OverDrive's 'No Cost and Low-Cost Ebook and Audiobook Collections for Your Community'
3/17/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'Working From Home: Your Common Challenges and How to Tackle Them'
3/17/2020COVID-19 NEWS: '9 Strategies for Working Remotely During the Coronavirus'
3/17/2020COVID-19 NEWS: ByWater Solutions' 'Preparing for Library Closures'
3/17/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'JoVE Offers Free Access to Extensive STEM Education Video Library to Aid Remote Teaching & Learning …'
3/17/2020COVID-19 NEWS: ITI's Computers in Libraries Is Postponed
3/19/2020COVID-19 NEWS: Academic Libraries Compile Lists of Companies Offering Free Resources
3/19/2020COVID-19 NEWS: ARL's 'The Contribution Research Libraries Are Making'
3/19/2020COVID-19 NEWS: PR Daily's 'Why COVID-19 Should Prompt Questions About Cybersecurity'
3/24/2020An Internet Pioneer Delivers an Orwellian Warning in a Timely New Book
3/24/2020COVID-19 NEWS: EdSurge's 'How Librarians Continue Their Work Digitally Even as Coronavirus Closes Libraries'
3/24/2020COVID-19 NEWS: American Libraries' 'Fighting Fake News in the Pandemic'
3/24/2020COVID-19 NEWS: ACS's 'Can Soap Really "Kill" the Coronavirus?'
3/24/2020COVID-19 NEWS: IFLA's 'COVID-19 and the Global Library Field'
3/26/2020COVID-19 NEWS: CCC Helps Educators Use No-Cost Materials
3/26/2020COVID-19 NEWS: Instructions for 3D-Printed Masks
3/26/2020COVID-19 NEWS: Internet Archive Creates a National Emergency Library of Non-Waitlisted Titles
3/31/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'Your Facebook Page Is Your New Public Library Branch'
3/31/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'Now Is the Time for Open Access Policies—Here's Why'
3/31/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'FCC: Closed Schools, Libraries Can Still Get E-Rate Funding'
3/31/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'Smartphone Data Reveal Which Americans Are Social Distancing (and Not)'
3/31/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'Coronavirus Will End Tech Conferences and Events as We Know Them'
3/31/2020How Libraries Are Responding to a Global Pandemic
3/31/2020Coronavirus Reshapes Law While Reshaping Society
4/2/2020COVID-19 NEWS: Internet Archive's National Emergency Library Draws Backlash
4/2/2020COVID-19 NEWS: OCLC Launches Resource Page for Libraries
4/2/2020COVID-19 NEWS: ProQuest Unveils Coronavirus Research Database for Its Customers
4/2/2020COVID-19 NEWS: EBSCO Creates Portal for Healthcare Info Pros
4/7/2020COVID-19 NEWS: Internet Archive Defends the Launch of Its National Emergency Library
4/7/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'COVID-19 Information Overload Leads to Simple but Unhelpful Choices'
4/14/2020COVID-19 NEWS: IGI Global's 'What Is the Role of Libraries During the COVID-19 Pandemic?'
4/14/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'Q&A: What Do People Ask a Librarian in a Pandemic? L.A. Library's InfoNow Has the Answer'
4/14/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'Public Libraries Launch, Expand Services During COVID-19 Pandemic'
4/14/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'How Effective Is Quarantine Alone or in Combination With Other Public Health Measures ... ?'
4/14/2020COVID-19 NEWS: CRP's 'The Psychological Fight of Our Lives'
4/16/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'Most Libraries Are Closed. Some Librarians Still Have to Go In.'
4/16/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'IMLS Announces New Stimulus Funding for Communities Across America'
4/16/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'EveryLibrary Creates Fund to Help Library Workers in Need Because of COVID-19 Shutdowns'
4/16/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'Library of Congress Cancels Public Events Until July 1'
4/21/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'WHO COVID-19 Database Launches New Search Interface'
4/21/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'Libraries Brace for Budget Cuts'
4/21/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'Verizon Will Buy Video Conferencing Company BlueJeans'
4/23/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'Stanford Law School Creates Free Database of COVID-19 Legal Memos'
4/23/2020COVID-19 NEWS: APA Announces More Free Resources
4/23/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'Startling Digital Divides in Distance Learning Emerge'
4/23/2020COVID-19 NEWS: European 'Commission Launches Data Sharing Platform for Researchers'
4/30/2020COVID-19 NEWS: Library Resources From SLA and IFLA
4/30/2020COVID-19 NEWS: CCC Plans a May 5 Virtual Town Hall About Building Digital Resiliency
4/30/2020COVID-19 NEWS: ReadCube Implements COVID-19 Research Pass Program for Free Content Access
5/5/2020COVID-19 NEWS: Megaputer Launches Geo-Map for Tracking Cases
5/5/2020COVID-19 NEWS: Kudos Pro Offers Complimentary Access for 60 Days
5/7/2020COVID-19 NEWS: Mendeley Group Offers Studies on the Sex and Gender Dimensions of the Virus
5/12/2020Tips for Working Smart at Home
5/12/2020'The "New Normal" Agenda for Librarianship' by R. David Lankes
5/12/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'BiblioCommons Launches New Features to Support Libraries in an Online-Only Environment'
5/14/2020COVID-19 NEWS: ALA Spearheads a Request to Congress for Library Funding
5/14/2020COVID-19 NEWS: Thomson Reuters and NAMLE Teach How to Spot Misinformation
5/14/2020COVID-19 NEWS: Reopening Libraries in Denmark
5/19/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'Reopening Libraries in New Zealand: Slow and Steady Wins the Race'
5/19/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'Libraries Around the World Prepare for a New Normal'
5/19/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'FlatWorld Announces Textbooks Will Include COVID-19 Updates for Fall Semester'
5/19/2020COVID-19 NEWS: Inside Higher Ed's 'What It's Gonna Take'
5/19/2020COVID-19 NEWS: Inside Higher Ed's 'Open-Access Publishing and the Coronavirus'
6/2/2020Closing and Reopening: COVID-19's Impact on Law Library Services
6/2/2020Libraries Making the Most of Their Resources: A Roundup
5/28/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'More Harm Than Good? Twitter Struggles to Label Misleading COVID-19 Tweets'
5/28/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'Public Libraries Innovate to Serve Vulnerable Populations on the Front Lines of COVID-19'
6/2/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'Exact Editions Freezes Institutional Subscription Prices for 2020/2021'
6/2/2020COVID-19 NEWS: Patron Point Is 'Helping Libraries Configure Notices as They Re-open Their Locations'
6/23/2020A Look at Google Trends
6/9/2020COVID-19 NEWS: Digital Science Studies 'How COVID-19 Is Changing Research Culture'
6/16/2020COVID-19 NEWS: Academic Libraries Will Be 'Changed, Changed Utterly'
6/16/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'Libraries Are Needed More Than Ever. But Many Aren't Sure How to Reopen …'
6/16/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'Google Maps Rolls Out COVID-19 Transit Alerts'
6/18/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'Libraries Get Creative About Reopening as Budget Cuts Loom'
6/18/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'While Library Buildings Are Closed, Collaborative Digital Library Ensures Access to Books for Research, Study'
6/23/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'Research Shows Virus Undetectable on Five Highly Circulated Library Materials After Three Days'
6/23/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'Data Reveals 60 Percent of People Want to Stay at Home After COVID-19'
6/30/2020University Students Create a Good-News Website
6/30/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'How COVID-19 Has Changed Americans' Comfort Levels, Behaviors and Outlooks'
7/7/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'The Black Lives Matter Protests Have Taught Us More About the Coronavirus'
7/2/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'The MIT Press and UC Berkeley Launch Rapid Reviews: COVID-19'
7/9/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'ALA Summons Support for Library Stabilization Fund Act'
7/9/2020COVID-19 NEWS: Wiley's COVID-19 Research Update
7/9/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'COVID-19 to Accelerate Transition to Open Access Publishing'
7/16/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'Librarians Turned Google Forms Into the Unlikely Platform for Virtual Escape Rooms' by Aliya Chaudhry
7/28/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'Contact Tracing: How Ireland Built Its App and What It's Doing Next'
7/28/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'School Librarians Lead During Pandemic Learning Conditions'
7/30/2020COVID-19 NEWS: APA Releases Latest Survey Results About Stress in America
7/30/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'Librarians Alarmed About Coronavirus Safety at D.C.'s Reopened Public Libraries'
8/4/2020COVID-19 NEWS: SirsiDynix Webinar Covers Coping With Isolation
8/4/2020COVID-19 NEWS: Libraries Take Different Approaches to Reopening
8/11/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'Penguin Random House Extends Temporary E-Book, Digital Audio Terms for Libraries'
8/11/2020The Medical Library Association Is Working to Conquer COVID-19
8/18/2020COVID-19 NEWS: OverDrive Shares '4 Ways to Keep Promoting Your Digital Library'
9/3/2020COVID-19 NEWS: 'AASL Offers COVID Recovery Grants'
9/17/2020Libby Now Lets Users Share Titles and Export Data
9/22/2020A Double Helping of Challenges During the Pandemic
12/1/2020A Roundup of COVID-19's Impact on Higher Education
3/2/2021Beyond Coping: Libraries Stepping Up to Meet Community Needs During the Pandemic
8/24/2021Working to Complete the Unfinished Business of a Fair and Balanced Internet
1/6/2022hoopla Introduces BingePass for Unlimited Access to New Streaming Platforms
12/20/2022A Librarian Looks at How Libraries Cater to Teen Patrons
5/2/2023Librarians as Second Responders: Resources for Mental Health Awareness Month


Comments Add A Comment

              Back to top