EDITOR'S NOTES
Pain Points and Pivots
by Dick Kaser
The theme this month is Virtual Realities, but the issue is not at all about the VR technology that we’ve featured in previous editions. Here, we’re talking about the realities of the virtual lives we have had to embrace during these times and what that has meant to libraries.
The shift to digital content and online access was already a trend going into 2020. But the pandemic required working from home, learning from home, shopping from home, and socializing from home—which all hinged on our figuring out how to do that online. We were all taking a ride on the digital learning curve, and it turned out to be a roller coaster.
Working at a community college, Tom Adamich describes how he had to scramble to come up with a viable strategy to ramp up his institution’s online offerings. And like so many others during the lockdown, Adamich had to work with what he had.
In many quarters, pandemic conditions highlighted and amplified another trend that affects libraries, schools, and home workplaces: Not everyone has broadband, smartphones, or computers and knows how to use them. Two case studies—one urban (from Paula Brehm-Heeger of Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library) and one rural (from Francisco Garcia-Ortiz of Yakima Valley Libraries)—demonstrate how libraries powered through the pandemic to narrow the access gap commonly known as the digital divide.
Li Chen (Kennesaw State University’s library system) discusses another type of disparity that emerged as schools shifted to distance education and remote working. Read how she managed her systems team in supporting the new educational priorities.
With these trying times has also come emotional toil and the need for introspection. Columnist Terence Huwe walks you through his takeaways. Next month, we’ll hopefully all move on. As Huwe suggests—quite rightly—we should reopen with a smile. 🙂
Dick Kaser, Executive Editor
kaser@infotoday.com
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