COVID-19 and the Bubonic Plague: What Have We Learned? by Gracemary Smulewitz (Formerly, Head of Collection Services, Rutgers University Libraries, now retired) <smulewi@scarletmail.rutgers.edu> “Great crises tend to bring profound social change — for good or ill.” The author Lawrence Wright offered this statement in a New Yorker article, “How Pandemics Wreak Havoc–and Open Minds.” Wright was introducing his interview with Gianna Pomata, a retired professor of the History of Medicine at the Institute of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Pomata, to Wright, compared the COVID pandemic to the Bubonic Plague of the fourteenth century. The article interested me, as it highlighted what brought society out of the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance, a rebirth Pomata attributed to waves of new creative thinking. Before this rebirth, the study of medicine, for example, was not empirical. Boccaccio, in the Decameron, witnessed, “The advice of doctors and the power of medicine appeared useless and unavailing.” The overthrow of this approach occurred because doctors, as millions died, put aside scholastic medicine, based on ancient texts and even astrology, in favor of empirical evidence. According to Pomata, refreshing new intellectual perspectives came about not only in medicine, but also in education, the arts, and exploration. Pomata feels that something similar for today’s economy and culture will take place. Especially for education, I share Pomata’s hope.
The Small and Large of It: Leading a Team in Times ... from page 20 social distancing. My E-Resource Unit has been told that we can stay at home as long as permitted. And so I might go in, you know, once a week seeing how the semester goes. But we’re still very much at home. David: We’re similar in that public-facing positions are all coming in, but they’ve extended their workdays. They do three shifts now and they’re staggered. Reference and instruction people are basically staying home. In our department, people in electronic resources and systems are staying home and the acquisitions and cataloging staff and I come in about halftime. On any given day there’s probably one to two of us in the department space. One thing I didn’t mention about us not being open to the public is that our whole campus is closed to the public. We actually need to wear our name badges somewhere visible so that Community Safety Officers don’t stop us. Which is a big cultural change, obviously. Erin: Thanks, David. This has been enlightening! 22 Against the Grain / December 2020 - January 2021
As I reflected on her perspective, I looked at how all libraries, and Rutgers University in particular, reacted to the need for immediate change at the onset of the pandemic. Rutgers is a university of approximately 71,000 graduate and undergraduate students on three campuses, with two medical schools and a law school. Currently there are 23,600 faculty and staff. Although very large compared to most colleges and universities, we were faced with the same dilemmas as others who are smaller. Like most institutions, Rutgers immediately began work to provide what was essential for faculty, students, and staff to function in the new remote environment. Many webpage announcements were created to guide the library community on how to navigate remotely. Extensive research guides were created to help with the technical changes, such as how to use Zoom and Webex, and how to access course reserves and other Access Services information. From our medical librarians, guides were developed to inform users about COVID. Many other guides and updates were offered to help in the changed environment. The University Librarian routinely posted information on the COVID virus and its effects on the university and specifically the libraries. Pomata spoke about cultural changes, and I reflected on all that was being done that influenced the culture of our libraries during this time. When Rutgers had had an immediate shutdown and everyone was thrown into remote work, folks spoke of feeling isolated. For many at the library, it took time to be comfortable with the format and protocols of online meetings. I was surprised to learn that shortly after the shutdown, the library administration would host a full program on Zoom about the State of the Libraries. State of the Libraries is normally an annual in-person event that is extremely well attended. The event brought the library staff and faculty together online, as a community. The program opened with slides of staff in their makeshift home offices — children, pets, and all. Announcements were made of the many posters submitted by faculty and staff for the program and that the poster session could be found on YouTube. What might have been an uncomfortable remote environment evolved into a familiar one. The human element and the work of the posters showed everyone that our traditions continued and that important things were happening. The program highlighted implementations that made operations possible, displaying posters of projects that would enhance website design, instruction, course reserves, and access in the future; all could look ahead to some exciting developments. All of this was highly informative and stabilizing for our library staff and faculty. continued on page 23
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