(via Bernd Becker, San Jose State University)
The sudden changes brought about by the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic gave libraries little time to prepare for what was to come. Universities suddenly closed their doors and either shifted services to an online environment or halted them altogether. These changes were equally significant for every function and service point of the physical library. In many ways, university libraries were well positioned to absorb some of the pandemic’s impact. Elements such as virtual reference, online instruction, and digital collections were already somewhat integrated into services that were being offered. These service models were tested to their limits, however, and changes that were thought to be temporary have, in many ways, become permanent.
Now that more than two years have passed since the events of early 2020, The Journal of Academic Librarianship is gathering papers for a special issue on how university libraries have been transformed by, and adapted to, the new normal. Papers detailing case studies, best practices, lessons learned, or future directions are all welcome. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following.
- incorporating online approaches to instruction (synchronous, asynchronous, or hybrid)
- the process of shifting reference services to an online environment
- adjustments made to the nature of an academic librarian’s work
- new models of service or assessment
- change management during the pandemic
Timeline
The Journal of Academic Librarianship is a peer-reviewed academic journal that covers all topics dealing with academic libraries. This call is for an online, special issue of the journal. Papers will be accepted for review on a rolling basis, but priority will be given to those submitted by Thursday, December 1. Time to the first decision is typically three weeks.
Please send any questions about the call to the special issue editor, Bernd Becker (bernd.becker@sjsu.edu).