Are we going back to offices and city living or will a new normal emerge? Judging from the articles and posts, it’s not clear at all. With uncertainty prevailing, what should libraries be thinking about and planning for?
In this episode, we dive deeper into the topic of help and information services of all kinds– human, mediated (telephone, digital), online. What’s going on with consumer help and what’s the status of Q&A, Ask a Librarian, and reference services in library land?
Mike and Dave are joined by a very special guest – the talented and enthusiastic Angela Craig, Executive Director, Charleston County Public Library. Angela explains the nature and scope of needs that emerged due to the pandemic, and the full-scale reaction by librarians and staff in terms of outreach, services, systems, and partnerships that were quickly deployed.
As we start to see some light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, what does it mean for the locus and nature of work? Will everyone simply return to their offices, businesses, and schools as if nothing has changed? Or has the lockdown been a catalyst for reconsidering location, work-home balance, and the trade-offs of physical vs. virtual work.
It pretty much happened overnight: schools are closed, kids are home, teaching and learning are online, parents are responsible for coordinating it all. While every aspect of life has been affected by the pandemic, no sector has been more quickly and more significantly by the pandemic than education – on all levels.
In this second episode (and our last simultaneous broadcast as part of the Publishers Weekly Skillset Podcast), Mike is all upset about how difficult it was to get an appointment for a Covid vaccine. Dave agrees and explains how libraries can support the rollout along with more long-term emergency support services and resources.
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This is the first episode of our new podcast Libraries Lead in the New Normal. We aim for a wild conversation between two close friends who share a passion for all things library & information but frequently disagree on specifics.