Academic libraries and the pandemic: lessons learned and future plans
Date
2023-04-28
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Abstract
In this video poster presentation, the presenters will discuss how their library, at an overseas Canadian university, responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as share what their “new normal” looks like.
While our library’s function as a physical hub was severely hampered, it continued to play its role as a resource and saw more and more patrons turn to it for academic support. Given the disruption of normal library services, including the opportunity to seek information through the physical library help desk, blended services were offered through restricted physical library access and digital resources. Parallel to online class delivery, the library introduced an increased number of electronic devices, discussion forums, course-specific digital resources and chat services for engaging our university community.
Even though we are now once again engaging face-to-face, there remains a need for instruction and resources to navigate an online environment (Ziv & Bene, 2022). In the case of students, especially those suffering from social inequalities, it can be harmful to buy into the myth that they are digital natives (Enyon, 2020), with the know-how to operate in and analyze online environments. Similarly, faculty may no longer need the level of support they did during emergency remote teaching, but there is always room for improving teaching-with-technology methods. The pandemic cemented the core role libraries play in promoting and supporting information and digital literacy.
The presentation will discuss the practices that the library is consciously continuing with post-pandemic.
References
Enyon, R. (2020). The myth of the digital native: Why it persists and the harm it inflicts. In Burns, T. and F. Gottschalk (Eds.), Education in the Digital Age: Healthy and Happy Children (pp. 131 - 143). OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/1209166a-en
Ziv, N., & Bene, E. (2022). Preparing College Students for a Digital Age: A Survey of Instructional Approaches to Spotting Misinformation. College & Research Libraries, 83(6), 905–925. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.83.6.905