Faces of Academic Librarians in the New Normal Environment

The COVID-19 Pandemic was pronounced as public health emergency by the World Health Organization early in March 2020. This leads academic librarians showcase different faces in rendering library services in the new normal environment. The purpose of this study was to describe the emerging roles and challenges encountered among academic librarians working in the new normal. This study employed descriptive phenomenological research design. Eleven (11) licensed academic librarians in an accredited higher education institution participated using Key Informant Interview (KII). The data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s method. The result shows that academic librarians emerging roles in this new normal environment are online programs/services administrators, research support/instructional partners, and enforcers of health and safety measures. Academic librarians encountered problems in accessibility, demands for ICT Skills in rendering online library services, difficulties on the new normal library operations, and the users' demands. The forms of support needed from fellow academic librarians and the academe, in general, are the Need for Budget Allocation, Administrators Moral Support, Support for Professional Developments, and Cooperations and Teamworks of their colleague. Ultimately, academic librarians strive to develop a sense of flexibility and enhance their adaptability to the changes due to the Pandemic. The different faces of academic librarians are labeled as reflections of what kind of an academic library an accredited higher education institution has.