Anyone else ready for 2020 to be over? It’s been a challenging year, no question about it. The impact of COVID-19 not only on libraries but also its effect on our entire work and non-work lives has raised issues concerning health (mental and physical), scientific research, the economy, and news. The recognition that racism is far from being eradicated from societies around the globe has led to many public actions and pronouncements.

Librarians who are struggling with reopening their libraries or coping with continuing to provide services if their libraries remain closed are busier than ever. They are pulled in different directions, essentially being required to be in two places at once: available for library users at the hours convenient for them while keeping some semblance of normal working hours. You could view this as having an online presence plus a “pseudo-physical” one. Adding to the pressure? Conflicting views on how best to keep staff and library users healthy, calls for libraries to be on the front lines of combatting racism and educating about racism, and budget concerns stemming from the recessionary economy. It’s not a pretty picture.

At the same time, librarians have the usual, more traditional, concerns. Answering reference questions, making collection development decisions, selecting new tools to enhance library services, digitizing materials, searching online resources, and educating others in search techniques are just a few of the library activities that remain important, pandemic or no pandemic. Some new twists, imposed by the current situation, threaten some activities. Interlibrary loan (ILL) works wonderfully if the material requested is in electronic form. ILL for physical books has faded almost completely away. Budgets must be reworked to favor digital over print. Persuasion skills regarding the importance of library services and, concurrently, monetary support of libraries must be adapted to our working-from-home culture.

I am amused by stories in the general press that suggest things to do while “stuck at home” with loads of “down time.” For many of us, the opposite is true. We are trying to do our normal jobs while at the same time coping with additional responsibilities. We are not “stuck at home”; we’re experimenting with how much work we can do at home. It’s tempting to focus on all the things that have changed. Yet many work obligations haven’t changed.

When I think of librarians being in two places at once, I’m reminded of the 1969 Firesign Theater album title: How Can You Be In Two Places At Once When You’re Not Anywhere At All. Sometimes, it does feel as if we’re floating in cyberspace and not anywhere at all, but more frequently, we are grounded by our daily routines and very definitely “in” the library. I see this as a direct evolution of the impact of online technologies.

The move toward electronic resources gradually redefined libraries and made access to information pervasive, at least in some environments. Information professionals need to concentrate on expanding access to information to those in environments where access is limited or nonexistent. This is a goal that transcends the current pandemic situation and gives us hope for the future.

Online Searcher will soon be in two places at once: With this issue, we are introducing a PDF version. The magazine will still be available in print, so you have the option of PDF or paper.