BRIDGING THE GAP-STORIES OF LIBRARIANS IN BRINGING LIBRARIES INTO USERS DOORSTEPS AMIDST COVID 19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

The enormous impact of the COVID-19 pandemic brought immense changes to the library and information services.  Hence, this phenomenological qualitative study aimed to discover the stories of academic librarians in bringing the libraries into users’ doorsteps amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The researchers employed Key Informant Interview (KII) to ten (10) academic librarians from Davao del Sur in order to capture the challenges they encountered and the strategies they employed in providing library services to the library users during the pandemic. Results revealed that academic librarians faced challenges such as difficulty in library promotion and marketing, and adjustments to the new work roles. However, they still managed to cope with these challenges through attending webinars and online trainings, implementing new services, bringing libraries into user’s doorsteps, and embracing change and being resilient. Based on the findings, it is highly recommended that school administrators should provide adequate support for their academic librarians’ training, mental and emotional well-being to help them in continually performing their functions as well as their new work roles during the pandemic.