COVID-19 impact on the Chinese top academic libraries: Libraries' response to space, collection and services

Academic libraries' leaders' decision-making during the COVID-19 crisis

During the COVID-19 crisis, leaders of academic libraries had to make various decisions to retain library relevance and maintain essential services. The COVID-19 crisis raised the question of libraries' value to their universities more than ever. Libraries were facing financial difficulties but also operational challenges due to the services built around physical libraries. This paper uses a mixed methods approach to investigate academic library leaders' decision-making during the first year of the COVID-19 crisis. It combines quantitative and qualitative data from previous studies with primary data collected by the author to determine what kind of decisions university library leaders faced during the crisis and why. These studies show that leaders were concerned about the following main challenges: lack of access to physical services and collections, the safety of staff and patrons, new ways of working, and the library's role during the crisis. The results show that library leaders made decisions in smaller groups or some cases, individually due to the lack of time or information. While there have been numerous studies on libraries' response to the COVID-19 crisis in the past three years, this paper focuses mainly on academic library leaders and their decision-making to solve the crisis for their libraries.

Thriving in the post-Covid-19 era: a new normality for libraries' service offering

Purpose

Social distancing and physical closure triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic put the libraries' viability under stress. Although the spread of the pandemic enacted a new normality for library management, little is known about the ingredients that are needed in the recipe for increased libraries' attractiveness. The article addresses the current gap in the scientific knowledge, unveiling what libraries can do to thrive in the post-Covid-19 era.

Design/methodology/approach

Secondary data were collected from the census study accomplished in 2020 by the Italian Institute of Statistics on a large sample (n = 3,531) of libraries operating across Italy. Three regression models were run to obtain evidence of the factors affecting the capability of small-, medium- and large-sized libraries to attract users amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

Findings

Digitization did not significantly add to the attractiveness of libraries. Users appreciated the enrichment of loan services: more specifically, enabling people to access loan services online boosted the libraries' attractiveness. Furthermore, virtual reading groups, online laboratories and social networking improved the libraries' ability to attract users. Medium-sized libraries involved in literacy promotion reported a larger number of users.

Practical implications

Libraries should reframe their encounter with the audience sticking to a cyber-physical perspective, exploiting digital tools to establish a continuous exchange with users and engage them in a service experience which is aimed at individual and collective empowerment.

Originality/value

The article advances the understanding of the new normality heralded by the Covid-19 pandemic. Moreover, it illuminates avenues for further development to shed light on the libraries' ability to thrive in the post-pandemic era.