Adapting and planning novel services during and after the COVID19 pandemic

Background: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, library faculty and staff evaluated and acted to meet the immediate and anticipated library services and instruction needs of College of Medicine campuses and the affiliated hospital. This included leveraging expertise in the library, partnering with groups within the institution and experimenting with new models of service. These efforts demonstrated the value of library personnel, spaces and services to the communities served and has placed the library on sure-footing to provide library services and instruction post-pandemic. 

Description: In spring 2020, faculty and staff of the library began to work through the new paradigm of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact. First, library personnel evaluated how to provide library services remotely and what were the immediate and longer-term needs of the college main and regional campus and hospital. During the pivot to all online instruction, the library partnered with other departments to provide “just in time” training and support for virtual meeting tools. Librarians provided COVID-19 research support and created a COVID-19 Research guide in collaboration with library Faculty from across the university. Faculty and staff collaborated to create digital learning modules to provide customized library orientations to different categories of students and learners in the College of Medicine. These modules were created with the eLearning software Articulate Storyline and distributed in the learning management system Canvas. Finally, after experimenting with virtual tools and strategies, the library has been able to provide continuation of instruction, reference and other services virtually. Moving forward, the library will continue to leverage expertise and technology to meet the changing needs of our patrons. 

Conclusion: The library adapted to meet the needs of the institution during the pandemic and will continue to leverage personnel, expertise, and technology to meet the changing needs in the future. This includes rethinking library instruction, space usage, and programming in an environment where not all students, staff, and faculty have returned to campus and instruction and curriculum could be radically changed.