Teadusraamatukogude väärtus COVID-19 järgses maailmas

Abstract

The Value of Academic Libraries in the Post-COVID-19 World

The debate on the value of academic libraries has been ongoing for the last few decades. The topic of value is mainly considered from two points of view—first, the value of the library as an institution for students who continue to visit it physically and second, the virtual access to information without a physical visit to the library is vital for researchers. Libraries are considered as a good place having a great symbolic value. On the one hand, this is a positive attitude, but at the same time, this understanding makes it difficult for libraries to change both from our point of view and from the users’ point of view, since libraries are seen within certain frameworks and with specific tasks. The value of research libraries in the eyes of the university is mainly determined by their activities and services. Traditionally, librarians have been in a passive role, and as a result, the academic staff has seen library as a “keeper of the books” which provides support services.

This article uses results of various qualitative and quantitative studies, as well as materials reflected in scientific literature. The primary research includes studies from the LIBER, ALA, and Ithaka S+R U.S. libraries, conducted in 2020–2021. In addition, we also outline some opinions expressed in interviews with LIBER library directors.
As research libraries heavily depend on the university and its strategic directions, a crisis such as COVID-19 clearly demonstrated how dependent libraries are on the hierarchy of university decision-making processes. When decisions within the university took time, this was also evident in libraries. As the crisis escalated, the greatest weakness of libraries was revealed: most of their services were concentrated around physical library buildings or collections. The libraries, who had focused more on digital services proved to be more successful. The crisis forced libraries to introduce several changes and, at the same time, highlighted some of their short-comings, thereby providing an opportunity to improve. The pandemic allowed libraries to rethink some of their practices and improve their value.

Research during and after COVID-19 has shown that the role of libraries is undergoing a significant transformation in universities. Libraries need to get out of their physical buildings and passive roles. Virtual work processes, collections, and services which can be accessible to anyone and anywhere are becoming increasingly important. The keywords are speed, recovery capacity, and crisis management. The flexibility and resilience of libraries help prepare for the next crisis.

The article is based on a presentation „Re-evaluating library’s value post-COVID-19” at the LIBER conference on July 6, 2023 in Budapest.