Riding the Wave: Embracing New Trends in the Wake of COVID-19

Abstract

At UMass Chan Medical School, the Lamar Soutter Library relies on service usage statistics to inform what services remain, what programs and classes should be added, and what tools, spaces, and staffing can best serve the needs of the community. Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, most library classes were held in-person (94%) compared to only 3% online. As classes went virtual, social distancing became the prevailing policy and telework tools became commonplace and easier to use, leading to a near total shift in the opposite direction. At the height of the pandemic 93% of library classes occurred virtually, compared to the 2.5% that took place in-person. The rollout of vaccines and the ever more strident call to “return to normal” did not see another reversal; virtual instruction remains overwhelmingly popular at 75%, while in-person sessions lag, making up less than 22% of all September 2021-September 2022 sessions. This poster will discuss the crests (hybrid working environment, more flexible offerings, reaching new populations with more convenience) and the troughs (diminished library visibility, concerns about losing workplace culture and staff disengagement) as well as the opportunity to embrace these new trends in the wake of COVID-19.