THE LIBRARY WITHOUT WALLS Continuing to Meet Community Needs During COVID-19
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n response to COVID-19, Washington and Lee University suspended in-person classes on March 13, 2020, and prepared to embark on an entirely new endeavor — virtual instruction. This shift barely hindered most library operations. Instead, it instigated a flurry of staff activity as the library received increased requests for traditional services and created new services to meet emerging demands. The return to on-campus instruction in Fall 2020, did not prompt a return to business as usual. The library, like the entire university, altered policies and physical spaces to ensure the safety of our campus community. While patrons usually think of libraries as physical spaces, the shift to virtual instruction reinforced the library’s boundless reach. The library is more than a building — in our case more than two buildings. It is a collection of skilled staff and faculty eager to meet patron needs, regardless of their location. Here is how four library units worked diligently to provide resources and services for students, faculty, staff and public patrons during a historically unique time.
Instruction & Research Services MARY ABDONEY, INSTRUCTION COORDINATOR & SCIENCE LIBRARIAN In March 2020, the library scrambled to meet research needs as students returned to homes across the globe. Within weeks, we moved on-demand research support services online. To receive help with simple research questions, patrons were able to visit library.wlu.edu and ask a question through LibChat. Initially, librarians and trained student associates staffed the chat. During Fall term, our regular research help desk student associates took the reins, now fully staffing our LibChat service. For more complex research questions, patrons may schedule research appointments with a librarian. Booking an appointment with a librarian is not novel; yet, the format of the meeting is new. Now most sessions occur over Zoom or Microsoft Teams. This allows librarians to quickly answer student questions at their point of need and facilitates screen sharing — helping librarians better identify stumbling blocks in the research process. As classrooms bear occupancy caps to facilitate safe social distancing, many librarians spent the Spring and Fall terms zooming into a variety of courses. Giving virtual research tutorials not only accommodates room capacity for in-person classes, it meets the specific needs of virtual and hybridized courses. While COVID-19 influenced many of our recent innovations, several will persist. For example, we now have the skill set to virtually provide instruction to future study abroad courses or teleconference with students engaged in off-site community-based learning.
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Left image: Librarian Emily Cook “zooms” into a class to provide research instruction, communicating with oncampus participants and remote students simultaneously. Emily showcases a special guest requested specifically for this class, Cocoa the beagle. Photo credit: Janet Ikeda
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