Texas State University Libraries rapidly mobilized in 2020 to provide resources, information, and services to support the virtual campus created by the shift to online learning. Staff were quick to react to make sure studying, teaching, and working remotely didn’t cut users off from important library sources of information.
“There were a lot of pieces that had to be put together very quickly and our staff reacted and activated all of our resources in a very short time frame,” said Associate Vice President and University Librarian Joan Heath. “We wanted this campus to know the library was there for them during this crisis.”
Staff created a resource guide to communicate information about electronic materials and library services that are accessible remotely. Technology, including laptops and mobile Wi-Fi hotspots, were checked out and in some cases shipped to students who lacked them.
Access to key research materials was vital to the success of Texas State students and faculty as they completed the semester remotely. InterLibrary Loan (ILL) activity increased by 111% in April, and the library began making critical purchases of electronic materials when libraries suspended their ILL services. Staff scanned instructional materials for faculty and physical items for library patrons to make sure they had access to the important resources they needed. The library partnered with other departments to incorporate the discovery of affordable materials in the faculty online teaching certification process to help reduce textbook costs.
“In some ways, we had been unknowingly preparing for an event like this for years,” Heath said. “Our catalog of electronic and streaming resources has been a key area of emphasis for our acquisitions team, and our digitization unit has made many of our unique resources digitally available making it possible to access them without having to physically come to the library.”
In addition, support for faculty making the switch to online learning was critical. Librarians quickly put together a remote course support guide to identify electronic teaching resources for courses in each academic discipline and made research guides available in the university’s new Canvas learning management system. Subject librarians began providing remote instruction to classes through Zoom, narrated PowerPoint presentations or YouTube recordings.
Communication was key to making library users aware of the ways libraries could serve them remotely. University Libraries expanded online chat services and launched a comprehensive outreach campaign with digital content shared through email and social media channels.
“During the recent COVID-19 crisis, I noted with personal satisfaction the determination and dedication that librarians exhibited to make an extraordinary educational crisis into yet another instance in which our library played a central role in the Texas State educational and research experience for both faculty and students,” said Dr. Ron Brown, professor in the Department of History.
Debbie Pitts is marketing and promotions coordinator for University Libraries.