Abstract
COVID-19 put approximately all countries on lockdown. Libraries, whether they are public or private, also face closure. Through these closings, libraries remain to deliver facilities to their people in this perplexing period. So, this chapter discussed the challenges that libraries faced during this global health crisis and also discussed the possible applications that are helpful in these challenges. Data will be primary data used for empirical investigations and collected from public libraries of Pakistan. The chapter gives the empirical results or finding on the challenges (libraries closure, social distancing, handling material, and lack of research) and helpful applications like digital service, delivery services, exerted personnel, and online article requests for libraries. This chapter suggested applying quarantine strategies on returned books policy and implementing plans to offer remote services for example e-lending, e-learning, or support to remote teaching.
TopBackground
According to the Chinese government, the first case of coronavirus was reported on November 17, 2019, from the Hubei province (Søreide et al., 2020). Between early and mid-January 2020 the Virus began to spread to other cities in China. On January 30, 2020, the WHO has declared the coronavirus as a public health emergency of international concern, and on 31st Italy confirmed its first case. Then it spread all around the globe and till September 2020, around 210 countries have confirmed COVID-19 cases. As of September 15, 2020, more than 29.3 million cases have been reported worldwide; and more than 929,000 people have died. This great pandemic has affected each sector very badly. Like all other organizations, educational institutions have also been at the COVID-19 attack (Xia et al., 2020).
Businesses have gone through a miserable condition (Zhang & Ma, 2020). Public and private libraries are also in their critical situation. During this pandemic, besides other questions, this question also arises that how libraries can be remain functional. Since there is currently no vaccination, a lockdown was applied initially to control the disease. Lockdown of the businesses stopped the movement of people and institutions were closed completely (Christensen, Dube, Haushofer, Siddiqi, & Voors, 2020). Public and private libraries are also closed. Libraries are considered a haven and sanctuary in normal conditions. During this health crisis, libraries indulged in a new role. Under normal circumstances, Library staff would accommodate visitors by answering reference questions and provide them books. They also were provided tutoring and social service (Walumbwa, Hsu, Wu, Misati, & Christensen-Salem, 2019).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Digital Services: Digital Services is a term that refers to the electronic transfer of information including data and content across numerous platforms and devices like web or mobile.
Quantitative Research Design: Objective measure of the information that are described as numerical, mathematical, and statistical measure of data gathered through quantitative approaches like questionnaires, and surveys, or by conducting polls.
Area Cluster Sampling: Population is divided in different groups than random cluster is taken by simple random sampling to study the population. Clusters are form on the base of geographic areas.
Social Distancing: It means keeping a physical distance between yourself and the other peoples not belonged to your house. For social distancing have a distance of almost 6 feet (2 arm’s length) between the peoples.
Health Crisis: Difficult health circumstances for human which effects from a specific place to the more communities and geographic areas.
Delivery Services: The procedure of delivering goods from source to a predefined destination is called delivery. Postal and courier services deliver goods for public and private interests.
Trained Personnel: A person that has been trained by instructions or by practice is known as Trained Personnel.
Qualitative Research Design: Measurement of non-objective through qualitative approaches like gathering in the form of audio, video or sounds to develop the concepts, opinions, or experiences.
Heterotrait-Monotrait Ratio: A new technique in practice for measuring discriminant validity in partial least squares structural equation modeling, used as important blocks for the evaluation of mode.
COVID-19 Pandemic: An infectious disease caused by a newly discovered virus named as Coronavirus (virus known to cause respiratory infections in humans).