O bibliotecário na pandemia da COVID-19: desafios e inovações

Abstract

This study focuses on the librarian at the university library in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, the general objective is to analyze the challenges and the innovations of the library activity during the period of social isolation caused by the new coronavirus pandemic, and the impacts on the daily life of university libraries in the city of Teresina, in the state of Piauí. In this sense, the specific objectives are to highlight both the challenges faced by the librarians and the innovative aspects of library activity in the scope of service, products, and the services of the university library during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research is presented as qualitative, occurring through descriptive and bibliographic methods, considering the application of a questionnaire, including opened, semi-opened and multiple-choice questions. The researched subjects were three librarians from university libraries, belonging to the Public and Private Network, in the city of Teresina, Piauí, without identification. After analyzing the data, it was observed that during the social isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the investigated librarians had their activities affected, and needed to seek for strategies to continue providing essential services to the academical community; in addition, it was mentioned that structural, technological, and organizational factors were the challenges to their performance. On the other hand, the communication channels that some of the libraries made available were essential for promoting the services and/or products offered. We believe that this research represents a support tool about the professional performance of librarians at Higher Education Institutions during the pandemic period.