Health Sciences Library Workshops in the COVID Era: Librarian Perceptions and Decision-Making

Objectives: The objective of our study was to determine how COVID-19 impacted academic health sciences library workshops. Based on our own experience, we hypothesized that health sciences libraries moved their workshops online during the height of the pandemic, and that they continue to offer them virtually. Additionally, we believed that the online availability of these workshops increased attendance.

Methods: In March 2022, we invited 161 Association of American Health Sciences Libraries members in the United States and Canada to participate in a Qualtrics survey about live workshop offerings taught by health sciences librarians. Live workshops were defined as: synchronous; voluntary; offered to anyone regardless of school affiliation; and not credit-bearing. Workshops during the following time periods were compared: pre-March 2020; March 2020-June 2021; and July 2021-December 2021.

Results: Eighty-one unique responses, a response rate of 50%, were captured for the first question. Of these, 72 offer live workshops. Campuses returned to fully in-person learning at different times, and more than a dozen respondents were still working in hybrid environments when the survey was administered. Before March 2020, 77% of respondents (n=53/69) primarily taught in person. From March 2020-June 2021, 91% of workshops (n=62/68) were conducted online. From July 2021-December 2021, 65% of workshops (n=45/69) were still being held virtually while 29% (n=20/69) were offered in a hybrid format. During the height of the pandemic, 60% of respondents (n=42/70) observed increases in attendance as compared to the attendance before March 2020. From July 2021-December 2021, that number fell to 43% (n=30/70). Based largely on survey evaluations and participant feedback, 99% of respondents noted that overall workshop satisfaction was unchanged (54%; n=38/70) or improved (44%; n=31/70). The most frequently cited challenge to teaching online was not being able to visually assess learners (n=46/70). Ninety-one percent of respondents (n=64/70) considered the fact that attendees did not have to travel to a physical location to be a benefit. Respondents plan to continue offering workshops online, in person, and in hybrid formats.

Conclusions: Respondents' experiences mirrored our own. Before the pandemic, workshops were primarily taught in person. With the advent of the pandemic, librarians adjusted to a new reality and shifted to teaching primarily online. More than half of respondents reported increased attendance from March 2020-June 2021 and found positive or no change in overall satisfaction despite moving most workshops online. The long-term impact that the pandemic has had on workshops may require further study.