A survey of response of access services in academic libraries to COVID-19

Abstract

This article presents the results of an online survey of access services departments at academic libraries on the responses implemented during the initial stage of COVID-19 in March–May 2020. The 33-question survey was completed by 121 respondents. The article identifies policies and procedures adopted by access services departments during the pandemic, including staffing, return of library materials, fines, due dates, quarantine periods, interlibrary loan, reserves, and retrieval of materials.

Keywords:

• Access services
• circulation
• coronavirus
• COVID-19
• universities and colleges

Notes

1 Survey of Academic Library Response to the Coronavirus Epidemic, 2020 April Edition. New York: Primary Research Group, 2020. Online.

2 Articles in the library literature on COVID-19 include: Walsh, Benjamin and Harjinder Rana. “Continuity of Academic Library Services during the Pandemic the University of Toronto Libraries' Response.” Journal of Scholarly Publishing. 51:4 (July 2020), 237–245; Lo, Leo S., Binky Lush, and Dace Freivaids. “Redistributing work during COVID-19: Penn State University Libraries’ job bank.” College & Research Libraries News. 81:8 (September 2020), 394–397; Pionke, J.J. “COVID-19, Accessibility, and Libraries: A Call to Action.” College and Research Libraries News. 81:8 (September 2020), 398-399; Hall, Russell A. “Library Strategic Planning After COVID-19: Don’t Fight the Last War.” College and Research Libraries News. 81:7 (July/August 2020), 335-336; Ewen, Lara. “How to Sanitize Collections in a Pandemic.” American Libraries: The Magazine of the American Library Association. 51:6 (June 2020), 10–13; Ford, Anne. “Pandemic Forces Programs to Move Online: Libraries Adapt Quickly to the Crisis. American Libraries: The Magazine of the American Library Association. 51:6 (June 2020), 14–15; “Coping in the Time of COVID-19.” American Libraries: The Magazine of the American Library Association. 51:6 (June 2020), 20-23.

3 Library Circulation and Related Issues mailing list can be accessed at https://lists.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=LIB-CIRCPLUS and the ACRL Access Services Interest Group discussion group is at https://lists.ala.org/sympa/info/acr-igas.

4 Information on the procedures adopted by the provision of mailing labels to students is available on the respective library websites. University of Iowa Libraries (https://www.lib.uiowa.edu/alerts/coronavirus/#return), University of San Francisco (https://guides.usfca.edu/covid-19/renewing-returning), and Seton Hall University (https://library.shu.edu/remotelibrary/circulation).