Technical Services and the Pandemic
Ahmed, Md Nayeem, Rasheedul Haque, A. R. S. Senathirajah, Md Ibrahim Khalil, Saif Ahmed,Syriac Nellikunel Devasia, S. C. S. C. Yong, and Aerni Isa. 2024. “Library Services Provision During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Comparative Study Between Developing Countries.” International Journal of Religion 5 (5): 816-831. https://doi.org/10.61707/16dyrm70.
The research described in this article “explores a comparative study between Bangladesh and Malaysia library services during the Covid-19 pandemic. The study also intends to determine how the library responds, how they provide the services, the working hours, and their role in this pandemic time. A qualitative research approach has been used for data collection...” [Abstract]
Chigwada, Josiline. 2024. “Adaption and Reorganisation of Academic Libraries Following the
COVID-19 Pandemic.” South African Journal of Libraries & Information Science 90 (1): 1-8. https://doi.org/10.7553/90-1-2302.
“This study documents how academic libraries transformed following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. It identifies how these libraries evolved to meet the changing needs of users in a post-pandemic world. A qualitative study was done using a multi-case study design where three university libraries were purposively selected. Data was collected using semi structured interviews and participant observation. Fifteen participants were selected using stratified random sampling technique where the strata comprised of library management, technical, reader, circulation, and technology librarians.” [Abstract]
Craft, Anna R. 2020. “Remote Work in Library Technical Services: Connecting Historical
Perspectives to Realities of the Developing COVID-19 Pandemic.” Serials Review 46 (3): 227–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/00987913.2020.1806658.
“The concept and practice of remote work in library technical services is not new, but the scale and speed of the transition to remote work for many libraries due to the COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented. This column provides an overview of pre-pandemic literature on remote work in library technical services and briefly examines the history, planning, case studies, technology and equity concerns, challenges, and potential benefits of remote work. Initial connections are drawn between existing literature and the impact of the pandemic on remote work, and future directions for research and discussion are offered.” [Abstract]
Dixon, Dominique. 2025. “Burnout in Technical Services Librarians.” Technicalities 45 (1)
(Jan/Feb): 1-6.
“The article focuses on the mental health challenges faced by technical services librarians, particularly the issue of burnout exacerbated by the COVID-19 Pandemic. Topics include causes of burnout in library settings, factors such as organizational silos and increased workloads, and the impact of these challenges on mental health, particularly for tenure-track faculty.” [Abstract]
Grams, Kathy. 2025. “An Increase in Academic Ebook Preferences: A Decade Comparison of Ebook
Use versus Non-Use.” Evidence Based Library & Information Practice 20 (2): 92–95. https://doi.org/10.18438/eblip30732.
The objective of the study described in this article was to “determine the use of library-provided ebooks by faculty and graduate students, the change in use over the last decade, the features, benefits, and challenges of ebook use, and the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on ebook use in this population.” [Abstract]
Kennedy, Sean P., and Melanie J. McGurr. 2023. “Management Practice Changes in Academic
Library Technical Services Departments during the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Library Resources & Technical Services 67 (3): 69–78. https://doi.org/10.5860/lrts.67n3.79.
“The COVID-19 pandemic brought about many unexpected changes for academic libraries. Technical services departments were especially disrupted due to the nature of their responsibilities and library operations. In response to these pandemic-induced changes, technical services managers were tasked with maintaining a high level of operations while also navigating sudden workforce changes including evolving job demands and employees working off-site. This study documents and analyzes the responses of technical services managers during the pandemic.” [Abstract]
Kohl, Laura, and Sever Bordeianu. 2022. “Untethered: Cataloging in the Mobile Age.” Technical
Services Quarterly 39 (2): 112–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/07317131.2022.2045430.
“The article looks at the infrastructure, technology, tools, expertise, and logistics needed to perform cataloging and maintenance in the field or from a remote location, away from the library or the cataloging department. Additionally, the authors explore some of the challenges and opportunities associated with cataloging remotely during a pandemic and beyond.” [Abstract]
Martin, Kristin E. 2024. “Technical Services Operations, Four Years Out from COVID.” Technicalities 44 (4) (Jul/Aug): 1-6.
“The article focuses on the University of Chicago Library’s adaptation and recovery of technical services operations four years after the COVID-19 pandemic began. Topics include the challenges of managing hybrid work environments and evolving workflows, addressing backlogs in physical and electronic collections, and responding to changes in library priorities and societal pressures.” [Abstract]
Mihailovic, Andrei. 2022. “The State of the Approval Plan in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Technical Services Quarterly 39 (4): 412–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/07317131.2022.2125678.
The article discusses a survey of 59 academic technical services librarians “about the state of their approval plans in the wake of the collections and acquisitions challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. 40 responded, with a majority indicating a move away from print auto-shipments and toward e-preferred collection models. Libraries that continued to receive print auto-shipments tended to favor narrow, targeted profiles, such as faculty publications, international plans, best-sellers and award winners. Every response qualified as a movement away from print auto-shipments as an acquisitions strategy, even in cases where approval plans were maintained or, in one case, initiated for the first time.” [Abstract]
Salubi, Oghenere. 2025. “Transforming Libraries and Information Professionals for the Industry 4.0 in Developing Countries: Towards the Development of a Framework for Accelerating Change Post-Covid-19.” Alexandria 35 (1/2): 3–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/09557490231197971.
“This paper employs a SWOT analysis to identify the challenges and benefits for libraries and information professionals from both societal and professional perspectives. Despite the obstacles that libraries in the developing world may encounter in the post-pandemic era, as well as during the fourth industrial revolution, there are also valuable opportunities that can be harnessed. One such opportunity is the provision of information services to digitally literate, yet informationally illiterate communities.” [Abstract]
Tosaka, Yuji, and Cathy Weng. 2022. “When Disruption is the New Normal: The Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Technical Services in US Academic Libraries.” Library Resources & Technical Services 66 (2): 77-93. https://doi.org/ 10.5860/lrts.66n2.77.
“This paper illustrates a survey study that investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on US academic library technical services units in terms of disruptions and alterations of existing normal operations. The study revealed that technical services librarians and staff made determined efforts to continue performing as much of their pre-pandemic work as possible under the challenging circumstances.” [Abstract]
Van Wyk, Brenda. 2023. “Library and Information Services’ Reflections on Emergency Remote Support and Crisis-Driven Innovations during Pandemic Conditions.” IFLA Journal 49 (3): 610–19. https://doi.org/10.1177/03400352231166747.
“This study reports on an academic library and information service’s reflections on emergency strategies implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study was conceptualised through the lenses of existing digital exclusion frameworks and information poverty frameworks. The findings from the qualitative data gathered via focus group interviews emphasise the importance of emergency remote library and information services. The pandemic conditions and sudden remote service delivery model highlighted the prevailing socio-economic and socio-technical inequalities and exclusions among students. The value of the study lies in the reflections made on the institution-wide crisis-driven innovation strategy implemented, and the realisation that library and information services must offer active academic support. The study offers a library and information services model to prepare for future eventualities.” [Abstract]
Weinper, Katarzyna, and Stanisława Pietrzyk-Leonowicz. 2022. “The Academic Library during the Process of Change: Change Process, Disruption and Evaluation.” Library Philosophy & Practice (January): 1–12.
The article describes “the process of change implementation in an academic library organisation. Managing change and adjusting the structure of the organisation at the Centre for Scientific and Technical Information at the Lublin University of Technology was intended to present the main areas of the unit’s activity within the university structure. It was also intended as a starting point for adopting a modern library management model. The article describes the stages of the change process and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on this process.” [Abstract]