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Abstract: "2020 Vision:" Telling the Story of Academic Library Virtual Reference Services from the Pandemic to the Present
This poster presents results from a longitudinal study of the impact of COVID-19 closures and its aftermath on virtual reference services (VRS) in US academic libraries. Phase one, conducted from March to December 2020, consisted of in-depth interviews (n=28) with VRS leaders, and two sequential online surveys (n=300) with librarians staffing/managing these services during the initial COVID shutdown. Phase two, in progress, consists of ~40 in-depth interviews and surveys with VRS leaders, conducted from April to May 2024. It investigates the current state-of-the art during the academic year 2023-2024 to understand the ongoing impact of the COVID pandemic on VRS and other academic library services. For both phases, qualitative data analysis uses the constant comparative method (Charmaz, 2014) and NVivo qualitative software. Quantitative data, concerning both demographics and VRS use statistics, uses Qualtrics to collect and analyze descriptive statistics.
Results from phase one revealed that academic libraries became university information hubs during the initial shutdowns because of their established vibrant virtual presence, including VRS live chat, email, and websites. Qualitative data analysis from interviews and surveys found that users expressed thanks for VRS assistance, but also felt anxious due to problems accessing needed materials. VRS volume rose for many participants as question complexity and topics also changed. The involuntary shift to virtual modalities resulted in innovative services as librarians working remotely sought connections with students through video consultations, video chat options, and information literacy instruction videos. Despite isolation, having to quickly adapt to new technologies, and disrupted work practices, participants reported finding ways to support one another, and to provide high-quality user service.
Preliminary results from phase two, currently in the data analysis stage, reveal that VRS, including chat reference services and video consultations (along with digital scheduling software), have eclipsed traditional reference models in the wake of COVID-19. Due to remote or hybrid work environments, librarians are likewise using digital communication methods to connect with their colleagues. Many librarians report increasingly sparse staffing conditions and budget cuts, which, in some cases, have led to low morale, and, in some cases, to greatly reduced presence of librarians at the physical reference desk. Despite these challenges, preliminary results indicate that librarians and reference service staff feel camaraderie as they face a new standard of increasingly virtual services, and that they are eager to adapt and adjust to ensure that library users are supported during reference encounters.
This poster highlights stories that academic librarians have communicated surrounding VRS and interpersonal relationships throughout the pandemic’s course. Themes arising across the pandemic experiences of VRS leaders will be illustrated with evocative observations and encounters of research participants across pandemic closures and re-openings, adding a valuable contribution to the stories librarians hear, share, and tell themselves surrounding the “next normal.”
The poster features a combination of visualization types to share the impactful library stories stemming from this research. These visualizations will take the form of high contrast graphics, charts, and accessibly-accented text to engage the poster session audience.
Results from phase one revealed that academic libraries became university information hubs during the initial shutdowns because of their established vibrant virtual presence, including VRS live chat, email, and websites. Qualitative data analysis from interviews and surveys found that users expressed thanks for VRS assistance, but also felt anxious due to problems accessing needed materials. VRS volume rose for many participants as question complexity and topics also changed. The involuntary shift to virtual modalities resulted in innovative services as librarians working remotely sought connections with students through video consultations, video chat options, and information literacy instruction videos. Despite isolation, having to quickly adapt to new technologies, and disrupted work practices, participants reported finding ways to support one another, and to provide high-quality user service.
Preliminary results from phase two, currently in the data analysis stage, reveal that VRS, including chat reference services and video consultations (along with digital scheduling software), have eclipsed traditional reference models in the wake of COVID-19. Due to remote or hybrid work environments, librarians are likewise using digital communication methods to connect with their colleagues. Many librarians report increasingly sparse staffing conditions and budget cuts, which, in some cases, have led to low morale, and, in some cases, to greatly reduced presence of librarians at the physical reference desk. Despite these challenges, preliminary results indicate that librarians and reference service staff feel camaraderie as they face a new standard of increasingly virtual services, and that they are eager to adapt and adjust to ensure that library users are supported during reference encounters.
This poster highlights stories that academic librarians have communicated surrounding VRS and interpersonal relationships throughout the pandemic’s course. Themes arising across the pandemic experiences of VRS leaders will be illustrated with evocative observations and encounters of research participants across pandemic closures and re-openings, adding a valuable contribution to the stories librarians hear, share, and tell themselves surrounding the “next normal.”
The poster features a combination of visualization types to share the impactful library stories stemming from this research. These visualizations will take the form of high contrast graphics, charts, and accessibly-accented text to engage the poster session audience.