Usage of digital library services during COVID-19 pandemic: a study of Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs)

Purpose: This paper aims to find out the digital services of management libraries provided during the library closure and the challenges and initiatives the libraries have taken up to fulfill the need of their user community during the pandemic crisis. Design/methodology/approach: To meet the purpose of the study, the investigators have used a survey method. An online questionnaire was devised and administered among the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) librarians using Microsoft Forms. Findings: The study's findings suggested that all the libraries under investigation must avail of various digital library services in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Further, the investigators recommend that libraries formulate a disaster preparedness and management plan in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic so that libraries can prepare themselves for the future. Originality/value: The pandemic has affected every aspect of life and changed the digital library services scenario. Thus, it is essential to examine the role libraries have played during the COVID-19 pandemic and distinguish the challenges and initiatives libraries have taken to tackle the problems they faced. This study has been conducted on the digital library services that were provided by the libraries of IIMs. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

The role of academic libraries and information specialists during times of health crises in Jordan: the COVID-19 pandemic case

Purpose>COVID-19 forced libraries and other institutions to either close their doors to users or change their services routines. At this time, the libraries should extend their efforts to meet the increasing demands of information services in terms of quantity and quality of information services. This study aims to explore the role and responsibilities of academic libraries during times of crisis from the staff perception in academic libraries in Jordan.Design/methodology/approach>A questionnaire was disseminated to 359 library staff who were working at the 10 public universities in Jordan;295 questionnaires were suitable to analyze, with a response rate of 82.2%.Findings>The results indicated the importance of increasing academic libraries – specifically academic libraries in Jordan – awareness about the vast and important role of libraries to support research and the public community by providing authentic information sources about the pandemic to increase public awareness about the pandemic, besides contributing to disseminating research related to the pandemic as well as producing related research. Libraries needed to adjust their collection and information services during the crisis as they looked for ways to support the users they serve. The results affirmed that access to information remains the social responsibility of librarians.Practical implications>The findings will provide insights for other academic libraries on how to react in a crisis and maintain its role as a reliable information source.Social implications>During the health pandemic, people needed support in terms of getting easy access to authentic and reliable information. Libraries hold a social responsibility to the local community, such as awareness campaigns, posting videos on health practices and hygiene on it websites and social media.Originality/value>This paper provides insights and practical solutions for academic libraries in response to global health pandemics. It will help academic libraries handle and cope with the challenges of providing distance library services over digital channels.

The value of digital and physical library services in UK public libraries and why they are not interchangeable

This study reports on a series of focus groups of UK public library users to understand how the forced closure of UK libraries caused by the COVID pandemic and the increased use of replacement digital services affected their library use. We specifically focus on digital exclusion and whether this increased as the result of physical library services being inaccessible. We show that although digital exclusion did increase as the result of library closures, digital exclusion was not the best way to characterise our participants' experiences and digital choices was a more suitable concept. We show how public library users adapted to library closures, how they coped with these closures, and how they intend to use library services in the future. Our participants reported different patterns of use of digital and physical library services, had different experiences of these two modes of library service, and described their value in different terms. We explore what they valued in physical and digital services and show how simple arguments that digital services can replace physical ones do not match the experiences or wishes of those who use these services.

Modern Approaches to Library Fund Management

This paper studies the modern approaches to library fund management. Receiving information, its organization, storage, receipt, and dissemination of information among users are the main pre-defined tasks for libraries. The industrial breakthrough and informatization of libraries have significantly affected the development and general operation of libraries. During technological progress and forced measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the activities of libraries and their resources have partially and completely moved into the virtual world of the Internet. This remote method of operation made it possible to increase the popularity of libraries among users, the opportunity to use new approaches to modernize not only customer service, but also to modernize the management of library funds. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Teaching librarians’ experiences in the first months of system change

In this chapter, we describe our experiences during the first 6 months of the COVID-19-pandemic, as three teaching librarians at the University of Gothenburg, when almost all teaching at the University was transferred to an online format. Our purpose is to identify factors that seem to have an impact on the outcomes of academic librarians’ teaching after this rapid transition. We are doing this by presenting three teaching cases, a successful one and two unsuccessful ones, including the choices we made, the reasons for these choices, and what we have learned from this regarding pedagogical approaches, resources, and digital tools. By comparing these cases, we have identified three factors that seem to have an impact: the level of active learning during the library teaching sessions, the time available to librarians for choosing, learning about and using digital tools online, and working relationships between teaching librarians and course coordinators. © 2021 David Baker and Lucy Ellis Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Digital information services provided by libraries during the COVID-19 pandemic: Case studies from the viewpoint of supply chain management

In this chapter, five case studies are discussed within a specific context of industry-university collaboration. As the starting point of analysis, the core concepts are defined and the theory framework is set forward. The aim is to highlight the opportunities and the limiting factors that deprive the existing potential within these scientific networks from being exploited. It can be seen that the four Finnish library networks included in this chapter have still great amount of work ahead to become interlinked, inclusive, and transparent. The FAIR principle should be embedded into all these projects above so that the supply chains of the research ecosystem built upon these initiatives could become agile. The library networks of this case study could play a critical role in forming a novel agile research ecosystem enabling the activation of cloud-based digital workplace platforms. © 2021 David Baker and Lucy Ellis Published by Elsevier Ltd.