The COVID-19 pandemic has been disrupting library operations and services for close to two years. In a previous entry, I wrote about disruptions to Technical Services workflows at my library. This time, I’m looking back on how the pandemic has disrupted our technological infrastructure and the changes we made to compensate.
First and foremost were the changes to our communications technology. Long reliant on email for most written communications, we had to find ways to replace the kinds of verbal conversations made impossible by the move to working from home. Enter Zoom and Teams. Almost overnight, we had to become proficient at video conferencing and screen sharing. We eventually settled on Zoom over Teams for large group meetings, finding that Teams was just not as stable a platform for those activities. Audio and video would break up and screen sharing would bog everything down. We did find a use for Teams as a place to store documents and as a chat client. Now that we’re back in the office for the most part, we’re still relying on Zoom and Teams. Meetings of more than two or three people still feel safer over Zoom. Plus there is the added flexibility of being able to connect from almost anywhere and the convenience of not having to travel to meetings. Teams is still used as a file repository interface and a chat client. I have found myself continuing to use Teams for quick chats, even though popping into someone’s office down the hall is once again an option.
The disruption to communications also affected how we respond to our library users. Prior to the pandemic, email questions from faculty, staff and public patrons were managed via a series of email listservs and a subscription to Gimlet, a service statistics tracking platform. There were a number of problems with that approach: email lists were siloed and it was not easy to share information among them; we wanted a more robust tracking and tagging system; users were not always successful in sending questions to the correct email list. When the pandemic closed the library and pushed all reference questions to email, these issues became unbearable. After some research and consultation with other libraries, we migrated to LibAnswers, a Springshare product that allowed us to streamline online reference questions, share them as needed, and track statistics all in one place. In this case, the disruption caused by the pandemic accelerated us down a path we had only just begun considering. Ultimately, we ended up with a system better for users and staff.
Another example of pandemic disruption pushing us to improve services was our room reservation system. Even before the pandemic, we had been searching for a replacement for our study room reservation system which, at the time, was a very low-tech clipboard with a sign-up sheet placed at the circulation desk. We had already investigated a few room management systems available from the University but found they were not good fits for our small number of study rooms available only to law students. For us, the solution was another Springshare product, LibCal. When the library began to re-open on a limited basis, LibCal allowed us to reserve not only study rooms but also the restricted number of study tables and carrels available in the library. That was a need we had not had prior to the pandemic. Another benefit of the new room reservation system is that it is completely online, reducing the number of users at the circulation desk, protecting our frontline staff from exposure.
We also were able to reduce staff exposure by implementing our library’s first self-check machine. Unlike other changes caused by pandemic disruptions, a self-check machine had not really been on our radar previously. We’re a fairly small library with relatively low circulation, even at times of unrestricted access. With the pandemic reducing our hours and the number of users allowed in the building at once (and our desire to protect frontline staff as much as possible) the time was right for a self-check machine. After much research, the MeeScan kiosk system was what we finally settled on, for a variety of reasons, including affordability, features, and integration with existing systems. The integration with existing systems involved a lot of collaboration among us, the vendor, the university library, and university IT offices. But ultimately we were able to implement a way for library users to have a contact-free experience while picking up library materials during limited hours. As pandemic restrictions eased, use of the self-check kiosk remained flat. However, we recently decided to take advantage of the self-check kiosk and move course reserve materials next to it, allowing for self-service by students. Usage is now going up.
Another service improvement for students spurred by the pandemic was the move to electronic document delivery. Students are able to request a limited amount of material be scanned and emailed to them. This has the additional benefit of limiting visits to the library, reducing the risk of exposure for both staff and students. Due to demand created by this service, we had to replace our previous scanners with a more robust system. Again, after much research, we settled on a ScannX system. We ultimately decided to purchase two scanners, one for staff and one for self-service located near the bookstacks. As more students return to the building and as pandemic restrictions ease, the number of scanning requests is trending downwards. Whether scanning requests will be a service we continue to provide once we are fully post-pandemic remains to be seen.
However, the other technologies we’ve adopted due to pandemic disruptions to services are here to stay. In many cases, the pandemic response pushed us farther and faster down roads we were already on. This has led to better services for our users and improved workflows for staff. The pandemic has been difficult in every way and trying to implement service and technology changes in the midst of it was not easy. As we hopefully move out of the pandemic over the next several months, one of the silver linings will be the improvements we have made.
