Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures: A Comparative Analysis of Services between Traditional and Distance Libraries in COVID-19 Era

Abstract

The Library and Information Center (LIC) of Patras’ University and the Hellenic Open University Distance Library and Information Center constitute two academic libraries that serve two different academic institutions types. By the time of the first phase of the outbreak (spring 2019) they attempted to respond multidimensionally to the emerging needs, aspiring tο a seamless provision of services. Currents’ research primary objective is to record and compare their actions identifying any differences in their crisis management behavior. The study offers an overview of services offered by libraries that have limited resources and presents their attempt to remain effective under any circumstances.

Keywords:

• COVID-19
• user needs
• user satisfaction
• service evaluation
• distance service libraries
• academic libraries
• crisis management

Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report.

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1 The playlist of the COVID-19 campaign is available at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyzRyKCQI9E3OR8hoAu3Pq4rRf1jf29cE