Public libraries in the Great Depression suffered along with everyone else, but at least two federal programs actually expanded the reach of libraries. The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) began operation in May 1933. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) superseded it in 1935. WPA continued in operation until 1943.
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For the better part of two years, the pandemic shut down most public institutions, including libraries. Now that things are getting back to normal, let’s take a look at using the library and the wide variety of library services. Some of them were too little known even before the pandemic. Library buildings house library collections, which encompass a wide variety of materials. Or, actually, more than materials. Electronic resources make up a growing portion of library collections. The internet makes it possible for people to use library resources without ever visiting the library building. But the library building houses much more than the collection. It has meeting rooms, exhibit areas, and performance areas, too. Library services do not depend on the building. You can take advantage of many of them from home. Library personnel take various services to people around the community. After all, libraries serve many different constituencies, including people who for various reasons cannot visit the building.
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As of the 2010 census, more than 20% of the American workforce had some kind of disability. Half of the population older than 65 had some kind of disability. Libraries have long been committed to serving the entire community. Library services for disabled people require providing access to the facilities, collections, and programs. These services may not be obvious, or even evident, to most patrons. I came across an article about how the pandemic has hindered library services for disabled people. It describes how four different public libraries are struggling to function under pandemic restrictions. When I visited those libraries’ web sites, I did not find a single page that described their library accessibility services. With or without an easy-to-find web page, libraries do make special efforts to meet the needs of disabled people.
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hundred years ago, anyone who wanted to speak with a reference librarian had to go to the library and approach the reference desk. Or perhaps call on the phone, but probably not all libraries offered that service. In the 1990s, the introduction of the public internet caused a great disruption of library services. Slowly but surely, libraries started to offer virtual reference services (VRS) by email, instant messaging, chat, Skype, videoconferencing, etc. Most of these technologies proved best for short, uncomplicated questions and unsuitable for in-depth research questions. At the same time, much information became available electronically, either on the web or library subscriptions to various proprietary databases. To this day, though, a lot of information remains available only in print. Every library mounted a web site. Its reference department page would provide all kinds of helpful resources and instructions. When the pandemic forced closure of library buildings, these 20 or 30 years of experience with VRS became critical to maintaining any kind of reference service at all. Before the pandemic, VRS supplemented face-to-face reference service. At some libraries, it was little used and little known. Some libraries didn’t offer it at all. These libraries soon learned the value of … Continue reading →
What can you do if you don’t have a computer? Libraries have long been the destination for people who don’t own computers. Or who don’t have internet access at home. The difference between the haves and have nots in internet service is known as the digital divide. When the COVID-19 pandemic forced libraries to close, the digital divide became more evident and more serious.
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