Yotam Kramer, Ex Libris
Academia was turned upside down in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with stay-at-home orders and understandable health concerns across the world emptying out institutes of higher education essentially overnight.
Suddenly cut off from regular and easy communication with students and faculty, librarians found it difficult to continue providing expected services, such as support for students, research assistance, course list consultation, and the like. They were also faced with technical and systemic challenges in their own systems, consortia and other academic networks, whether local, regional or global.
What lessons have been learned? And how will they shape the “new normal” of the 2021 library?