Delivering services in the new normal: recording the experiences of UK public library staff during the COVID-19 pandemic

Robinson, E., Ruthven, I. and McMenemy, D. (2023) Delivering services in the new normal: recording the experiences of UK public library staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 55(3), pp. 617-633. (doi: 10.1177/09610006221093371)

Abstract

This paper reports the results of a survey undertaken in December 2021 and January 2022 related to public library staff in the United Kingdom and their experiences of COVID-19, exploring the lockdowns that were enabled, the subsequent re-openings, their mental health and their views for the future of the service post-COVID-19. Over 200 responses were received, and the findings indicate a range of views. The importance of the library as a community resource is evident in the comments from staff, and their observations of patrons on library re-openings. Findings also indicate concern for the future of the library service, and fear that new technologies like e-books may be seen as adequate replacements for the traditional library service. Findings also indicate staff face stress and mental health issues in terms of dealing with patrons while the virus remains highly prevalent.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This research was funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council (Grant number: AH/V014730/1).
• Keywords: Public libraries, COVID-19, staff, mental health, pandemic.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: McMenemy, Dr David and Ruthven, Ian
• Authors: Robinson, E., Ruthven, I., and McMenemy, D.
• Subjects: Z Bibliography. Library Science. Information Resources > Z665 Library Science. Information Science; Z Bibliography. Library Science. Information Resources > Z719 Libraries (General)
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Humanities > Information Studies
• Journal Name: Journal of Librarianship and Information Science
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• ISSN: 0961-0006
• ISSN (Online): 1741-6477
• Published Online: 07 May 2022
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2022 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Journal of Librarianship and Information Science 55(3):617-633
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License