The report gives detailed data and commentary on the quickly developing situation from 62 academic library directors in the United States. The study looks at the overall decision making of parent colleges – giving data on the percent that have cancelled classes, adopted increased online learning, all online learning or other options. It looks at efforts to quickly ramp up online learning, teach information literacy at a distance, interface with IT and other important departments in new initiatives, and otherwise prepare to operation (or not) in the new coronavirus-induced education environment.
Just a few of the report’s main findings are that:
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21% of library directors sampled felt that their colleges were not doing enough in response to the coronavirus.
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Research universities have embraced change much faster than other types of higher education institution and instituted online classes faster and more thoroughly than other institutions.
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37% of libraries sampled had not yet instituted special or enhanced efforts to disinfect circulation library materials.
This study is the first in a series of reports about how academic libraries and higher education institutions are responding the new and challenging circumstances imposed by the pandemic. Surveying for this report was done between March 10 and March 12, 2020. A follow up report will be issued in April as well as other reports on specific topic areas.
Data in the 73-page report is broken out by size and type of institution, by tuition level, for public and private institutions and by other useful variables.