Academic Library Instruction in the Time of a COVID-19 Pandemic – Lessons Learned

Abstract

This study examines the experiences of academic library instructors when shifting from primarily in-person to primarily online instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic. A 20-question survey was distributed to academic and medical librarian listservs. Questions asked 244 participants about various aspects of their experiences providing library instruction during the pandemic. Results indicated that most respondents experienced a successful transition to online instruction during, though many found the experience challenging. Open-ended responses revealed areas where instructors felt online instruction was more effective than in-person instruction, and areas where they felt it was not. Many instructors indicated an intention to continue to provide online instruction options into the future. Based on these survey results, a few key areas of recommendation are proposed where academic libraries can better prepare their instruction librarians for future emergent situations.

Keywords:

• Academic libraries
• pandemic
• COVID-19
• online library instruction
• online library instructional practices
• survey

Acknowledgements

Special thanks go to University of Washington librarians Michael Moore and Michael Mungin for proofreading our paper.

Funding

This work was funded by the Network of the National Library of Medicine, Region 5 through the National Library of Medicine (Grant #UG4LM013725), Seattle, WA.

About the authors

Correction Statement

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

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Nancy Shin

Nancy Shin, MLIS, AHIP, works at the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) Region 5 as their Outreach and Data Coordinator. Before the NNLM, Region 5, Nancy was the Sewell Fund Research Data Management Librarian Fellow at Washington State University’s Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine’s Technology Incubator. Her research interests lie in instruction, data ethics, and data analytics.

Sally Pine

Sally Pine, MLIS, MS, is the Biological Sciences & Sciences Research Data Services librarian at the University of Washington. She holds an MLIS from the University of Washington, an MS from the University of Oklahoma, and a BS from the University of California Berkeley. Her background is in zoology, paleontology, and environmental science.

Carolyn Martin

Carolyn Martin, MLS, AHIP, is the Outreach and Education Coordinator for the Network of the National Library of Medicine Region 5. She works with libraries and organizations to help increase access, understanding, and use of health information in their communities. Prior to working for NNLM, Carolyn was a hospital librarian for over 20 years.

Tania Bardyn

Tania Bardyn, MLIS, AHIP, is the University of Washington Libraries’ Associate Dean for Health Sciences and the Director for the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM), Region 5. Her research interests focus on innovation in health sciences libraries, medical library renovations and new construction, equitable access to health information and cultural barriers, substance use and mental health, and indigenous subject headings.