Delivering services in the new normal: Recording the experiences of UK public library staff during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

This paper reports the results of a survey undertaken in December 2021 and January 2022 related to public library staff in the United Kingdom and their experiences of COVID-19, exploring the lockdowns that were enabled, the subsequent re-openings, their mental health and their views for the future of the service post-COVID-19. Over 200 responses were received, and the findings indicate a range of views. The importance of the library as a community resource is evident in the comments from staff, and their observations of patrons on library re-openings. Findings also indicate concern for the future of the library service, and fear that new technologies like e-books may be seen as adequate replacements for the traditional library service. Findings also indicate staff face stress and mental health issues in terms of dealing with patrons while the virus remains highly prevalent.

Overwhelming effects of COVID-19 on public library services and recovery perspectives

“…The survey also highlights that libraries are actively participating in community crisis response, carefully preparing for the reopening of their facilities and addressing the educational needs of students and researchers. Similar conclusions were drawn in other similar studies (Rivera-Macias and Casselden, 2022), and most of them were summarized in Refs (Hughes and Santoro, 2021; Robinson et al ., 2022).…”

Are library staff autonomous? The influence of routines and the development of workarounds

“…And, although companies continue to hire for knowledge-intensive jobs, this work is overly standardized by management around rigid job titles and predictable outputs (Martin, 2019). Managerial routines were often a source of frustration for public library staff during the pandemic, particularly because they changed so frequently and failed to account for increasing workloads and demands (Robinson et al, 2022). Staff reported feeling ignored by management, and they pushed back against the one-size-fits-all approach embedded in managerial guidelines (Stevenson, 2022).…”

“…This reliance on others enables a form of collective autonomy, which—distinct from individual autonomy—emphasizes the ways in which workers “collectively define what kinds of knowledge resources should be used towards which purposes and how” (Hermansen, 2017: 7). Public library staff relied heavily on their colleagues during the pandemic to form partnerships and find new ways of working (Robinson et al, 2022), and the support of colleagues was central to a staff member reporting a positive experience during COVID lockdowns (Holden et al, 2020).…”

“…Some staff experienced guilt over concerns that they would not be able to meet customer expectations (Wilson, 2021). Others reported abuse and disrespect from customers—particularly over safety guidelines (Robinson et al, 2022).…”

“…Public library staff are also heavily influenced by the expectations of others, which may put limits on their autonomy. During the pandemic, for instance, the public demanded freedom from restrictions like masks, management demanded increases in workload, library staff expectations for mental health support were not met, and the failure of technology to meet staff expectations resulted in work barriers and struggles to meet demand (Robinson et al, 2022; Stevenson, 2022). As a homogenous profession, an expectation for Whiteness also pervades public library work.…”