COVID-19 Pandemic Architecture Librarians Respond

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Spring 2021

Publication Title

Art Documentation: Journal of the Art Libraries Society of North America

Volume

40

Issue

1

Publisher

University of Chicago Press

Abstract

Librarianship is a resourceful profession, but COVID-19 created new challenges for everyone, especially those working in public service with architecture students and faculty. Unlike in STEM disciplines, many architectural materials remain print-based, which impacted the quick change faculty needed to make to online teaching and classroom instruction. It impeded timely reference by even seasoned librarians and student access to necessary resources to complete their assignments. With libraries closed, librarians innovated and soldiered on, ordering new and different resources, applying new methods, learning new tools, and taking advantage of new vendor access models. This article documents the initial impact of COVID-19 on architecture libraries and librarians, supplemented by survey input from architecture librarians and faculty, and suggests strategies for navigating an uncertain future.

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