EDITOR'S NOTES
Libraries in the Time of COVID-19
by Dick Kaser
As we go to press, our world is in chaos, consumed by the COVID-19 pandemic. We have added an extra section of news items to show what we know as of this writing—including ALA’s recommendation that libraries close their doors for a while. We can’t anticipate what will have happened by the time you are reading this in May/June; hopefully, we will have arrived at a better place. But as Marshall Breeding observes in his column about libraries’ current response, there will also be long-term impacts from this upending situation.
As the virus spread and colleges sent their students online, I thought about how fortunate we are, as an industry, to be able to offer library access to a workforce that has been sent home. In her feature about building digital collections to support online learners, Lorette Weldon gives you practical advice for confronting such an unprecedented situation and for continuing to serve your community, even if now from a “social” distance.
While it seems as if all other things have come to a halt, 2020 remains not only an election year in the U.S., but also a census year, collecting data that will be used to draw political districts and fund libraries in the future. A librarian from the State Library of Ohio shares her knowledge of targeting the groups most likely to be uncounted this year, especially since citizens are encouraged (for the first time) to complete their surveys online—and not everyone has online access, except at their library.
Even as the world struggles to retain some sense of normalcy, we already know that there are those who want to influence our upcoming national elections. We saw what they did in 2016 with false information campaigns. Suzanne LaPierre shares 10 tips for encouraging news literacy.
The issue also contains articles on working with students to create oral histories and working with young people to teach critical skills with the help of robots, as well as conducting outreach with streaming media apps. If you aren’t back to work by the time you read this, perhaps it’s something you want to try with the kids.
I’m sorry to note that the Computers in Libraries 2020 conference (slated for early April) has been postponed. But in future issues, we will be highlighting papers that were scheduled to be presented.
Hang in there, and so shall we.
Dick Kaser, Executive Editor
kaser@infotoday.com
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